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Hey Guys - Here is my first shot a making a couple of customs. I used the waterslide decal technique. I think these came out ok, but I am planning on doing a second draft to perfect them. Any feedback would be great so I can improve the second time around. Huge thanks to floed (Alfrid) and DarkKnight7 (Faramir) for the amazing decal patterns!! ALFRID FARAMIR

This vignette depicts the stand-off between Gandalf and the Witch-King at the gates of Minas Tirith. It's one of my favourite moments from the book, and I've tried to incorporate all of the details into the vig as best I could. I always end up taking an excessive number of photos, so you can see more below (along with the accompanying text from The Return of the King): ... And a few more pictures can be found here Enjoy! Comments and criticism are much appreciated!

This is my "The Great Eye: Barad-dûr" Lego Ideas set. It would be a pit for Lego to never produce any more large sets for the world of Middle Earth without a decent version of the main enemy Sauron himself and so I have made this set in hopes that one large missing chunk can be filled. If you want to support it in hopes of it getting made you can do so through here. Every vote makes a change so please do not hesitate to leave your support. It only takes a few minutes if you don't already have a account imagine all the time I put to make it:http://https://ideas.lego.com/projects/96737 This is the main image in a large resolution. If you wish to see more close ups there are many more to be seen on the Lego Ideas link. Let me know what you think. -Gus Something happened with the post the title should be ""Sauron in armor minifigure along with Barad-dûr (Lotr) What do you think?" and it posted it twice. GG

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/96737The Great Eye: Barad-dûr

Hello Eurobricks! I have a creation to showcase that I've been working on for a while. Yep, it's another Hobbiton-themed MOC. I tried to capture all the main parts of The Shire, such as the dirt sidewalk, trees of different colors, shapes, and sizes, gardens, animal pens, and the hilly landscape. It makes a great display piece and I like the way it came out. Thank you for viewing! C&C welcome.

The Gray Havens part 4 https://ideas.lego.com/projects/96032 Let me know your thoughts and if you like it consider lending it a hand! Thanks!

What is Middle-earth like after Sauron is defeated and elves and wizards are gone? This question definitely fired up my imagination, and the “no size limitations whatsoever” clause let it run completely wild – so that I barely managed to finish the model in time. Here’s the Hobbiton Open-air Museum, my contribution to MEC. 500 years have passed since the fall of Sauron. Middle-earth has enjoyed an era of peace and prosperity like never before. While the elves weren’t interested in any kind of innovation, men were eager for new tools and technology. It wasn’t long before an industrial revolution transformed the realm, fueled by Saruman’s designs and notes found in Orthanc. What he envisioned as tools of destruction became means of energy generation and mass-production. While men quickly multiplied and settled the largely deserted Arnor, hobbits held on tight to their rustic lifestyle. Being revered for their contribution to the War of the Ring, they were left alone by men, with the entire Shire proclaimed a cultural reserve. Tourism quickly became a lucrative industry, second only to pipe-weed exports. Hobbiton, being the most famous place, was turned into an open-air museum, receiving thousands of visitors from all around the realm. Bag End and Sam’s hole just down the road were carefully preserved. A tour group is seen exploring them here. Mostly consisting of humans, it includes one very unusual visitor – a Gundabad orc. While most orcs still continued living their semi-savage lives in the mountains, some attempted to join the human society. They were unfortunately met with distrust and heavy prejudice. This orc is clearly overcompensating by wearing a formal suit and carrying a briefcase. A couple of roleplayers are impersonating Frodo and Sam. They are taking their time snapping pictures of each other in the Bag End’s doorway, and the girl at the gates is getting impatient. A beautiful view down the road on the Water and the Old Mill. Gardeners hold special respect in the Shire, a tradition started even before Sam the Gardener made the profession famous. Assisted by modern technology, hobbits do a great job keeping the open-air museum vibrantly colorful, with well-tended little gardens, flowers and fruit trees. Another hobbit gardener at work. In the background there’s Sam’s hole and a nice open area leading down to the Water. It’s off-limits to visitors, but makes for a good photo opportunity. Thank you for reading! There are some additional pictures here, if you’re interested: https://www.flickr.c...57648646062089/ I was lucky to visit Hobbiton in New Zealand a couple of years ago – it made a big impression on me and I drew a lot of my inspiration from that. Initially I intended the model to be as close to the real thing as possible and include The Green Dragon, but in the end had to compromise and steer to what was best for display purposes (and my shelf space!). Still, I think I managed to capture the spirit of that wonderful place.

March of the Ent I'm back with my round four creation for Mocpages' Middle Earth Lego Olympics. This round again focused on characters, and my assigned character was Treebeard. I made a rather wispy lanky version of Treebeard, which I think look rather cool. Build Time: 10-12 Hours Enjoy! ~Nemo

Hi Everyone, I recently posted my massive Rivendell Moc on the LEGO Ideas page after downsizing it. I have updated the project with 7 different buildings from the display totaling 2800 pieces. I'm hoping that maybe one, two, or several of the builds gets approval since 2800 is still a lot of pieces. This project consists of: -Feasting Hall & Watch Tower- approx. 701 pieces -Library- approx. 784 pieces -Elrond's Study- approx. 272 pieces -White Council- approx. 44 pieces -Bridge Building- approx. 200 pieces -Gazebo- approx. 36 pieces -Entrance Tower- approx. 299 pieces -Platform- approx. 196 pieces -Bridge- approx. 63 pieces -Moon Rune- approx. 89 pieces -Tree- approx. 47 pieces -Entire Set with minifigs and accessories- approx. 2800 pieces Rivendell is such an iconic scene that deserves more than the 243 piece set we got 2 years ago. Any feedback is appreciated and thanks for supporting. The Lego Ideas page here https://ideas.lego.com/projects/91654 More high res pics of Rivendell here https://www.flickr.c.../127491317@N08/

... There stood a tower of marvelous shape. It was fashioned by the builders of old, who smoothed the Ring of Isengard, and yet it seemed a thing not made by the craft of Men, but riven from the bones of the earth in the ancient torment of the hills. A peak and isle of rock it was, black and gleaming hard: four mighty piers of many-sided stone were welded into one, but near the summit they opened into gaping horns, their pinnacles sharp as the points of spears, keen-edged as knives. Between them was a narrow space, and there upon a floor of polished stone, written with strange signs, a man might stand five hundred feet above the plain. - JRR Tolkien, The Two Towers Orthanc is the tower home of traitor wizard Saruman. It sits in the centre of Isengard, a once-lush valley at the southern end of the Misty Mountains, the range which runs like a spine down the centre of Middle-Earth. It is one of the eponymous Two Towers of the middle episode of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, together with Barad-Dûr (in the movies) or Minas Morgul (in the novels). This set represents the flagship of the LEGO Lord of the Rings range. It was first spotted in the background of a photograph of The LEGO Group's design workshop some time ago, but finally revealed in an official press release in April of this year. Although it is not scheduled for release until July, I was lucky to snag an early copy from the shop at LEGOLAND Deutschland during the Eurobricks Event. The sheer scale of the towers of the Lord of the Rings saga - Barad-Dûr, Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul, and Orthanc - makes them difficult to render in LEGO bricks at an affordable price, which I suspect is why TLG have shied away from producing sets of these behemoths ... until now. Of the four, Orthanc is probably the most achievable; let's see how the result shapes up. Review: 10237 The Tower of Orthanc Set Information Name: The Tower of Orthanc Number: 10237 Theme: Lord of the Rings (Shop@Home Exclusive) Release: July 2013 Parts: 2359 Figures: 5 minifigures, Eagle, and Ent Price: GB £169.99 | US $199.99 | EUR 199.99 | AU $279.99 | CA $249.99 | DKK 1699.00 Links ... Shop@Home ... Brickset ... Bricklink ... Peeron The Box Click for a larger full-frontal image This is a big box. It has the same frontal dimensions as last year's UCS-scale 10227 B-Wing Starfighter - a similarly priced set, though with fewer pieces - but it isn't as deep. Orthanc is shown amidst the Ent-derived desolation of the valley of Isengard; an unnamed Ent shakes an Uruk while another Orc attempts to bring him down with a grappling hook; Gandalf simultaneously escapes on an eagle in a strange time-warp of the storyline. A darkening sky sets the mood of the scene perfectly; quite why Barad-dûr is visible in the background is anyone's guess. The height of Orthanc isn't readily apparent from the picture; a small inset therefore demonstrates the tower's dimensions. Round the back, the tower's entire detailed interior is displayed for your perusal, accompanied by insets of various scenes: some canon, some less so. Click for a larger image Behind the parchment-like insets lies a map of Middle-Earth set on a beautiful gradient from earth blue on the right to fiery orange on the left; this is visible to a lesser extent on the front ... ... and continues on the sides: Here are left and right sides respectively. The latter's top edge is on the right, so the map - which continues at the top end of this side - is the right way up. Isengard is just visible in the centre, about a third of the way from the right, at the end of the Misty Mountains range. Kudos to the box artist if its placement here was deliberate. The five minifigures are represented in 1:1 scale on the box top ... ... while the bottom has a wall of text with the usual language lesson. My box is a little battered here, but it has just travelled six hundred miles in the back of an over-packed car. It appears that the set's components were made in DENMARK, CHINA, SWEDEN, HUNGARY, MEXICO, HONG KONG, the CZECH REPUBLIC, NARNIA, the MOON, and EVERYWHERE. What's in the Box? The box flaps are sealed with tape, so it can be flat-packed easily. Out falls the separately-wrapped and cardboard-backed Instructions and sticker pack, and eighteen polybags forming fifteen modules: see one to eight, which includes the separately packed Eagle, and nine to fifteen. The Instructions Three booklets are included, all of a similar size and thickness; all featuring the same image as the box front, and all covered with nice glossy paper. On their backs are an advertisement for the LEGO Club, the detestable WinGangeGewinne kid, and a trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; I'm not sure whether the last is a console game, a web game, a video, or a set; but whatever it is, it's coming in December 2013. Maybe it just refers to the forthcoming cinematic release. The modular construction is demonstrated over three pages at the start of manual one: It's actually a little daunting. Although the build process is modular, most sections start building directly onto the previous; there are only two places where the tower is designed to separate - between modules 9 and 10, and 12 and 13 - but even then, it doesn't separate easily. Part call-outs accompany the instruction steps, which are generally easy to follow. The Middle-Earth map is faintly visible in the parchment-coloured background. Despite the preponderance of blacks and dark bluish-greys, there are no major colour-differentiation issues; I only made one mistake in the entire build - mistaking black for DBG on a 1x1 round plate - and I noticed the error very quickly. The substantial inventory is located over three pages at the back of book three; click the links for pages 1, 2, and 3. Also at the rear of this booklet is a subversive 'Collect them all!' enticement, in the form of a minifigure display: Quite why this is included in an adult-oriented set is anyone's guess, but I guess adults can be pretty obsessive collectors too (though less likely deface their instructions by ticking the boxes). Other sets from the impressive Summer LOTR range are advertised: We are encouraged to buy two copies of the Black Gate in order to complete the scene; quite what we'll do with two Gandalfs the White is questionable, but it will help towards amassing an army of Eagles. I'm particularly looking forward to the Corsair ship with its Dead crew. Sticker haters beware ... ... there's a lot of them. Thankfully, they are all applied to flat surfaces, but that doesn't stop them being a pain in the backside. I've actually applied them this time, so we'll see where they go later. The Parts To save space and sanity, I've paired the bags up to show the parts. Modules One and Two build the Ent: There's a lot of useful reddish and dark brown here, along with some less useful parts. I can live without the reddish brown wing-end modified brick, and the Symmetrical wedge with fractured top may be relatively uncommon, but I can't see it becoming sought-after. New in dark brown are the Technic ball-joint bricks; a rather unexciting brick to find in a new colour, but it might be useful for tree-building (obviously). I am pleased by the selection of reddish-brown and dark brown bricks, plates and slopes; there's also a useful array of SNOT bricks and brackets, along with a smattering of dark and olive green. It's worth pointing out the two reddish-brown half-arches; these are the continuous-curved type, like the older 2339, but have a reinforced underside like the discontinuous style 76768 (and a new mold number: 14395). See here for a comparison. The three printed 1x1 tiles at the bottom-right of the picture are Ent eyes; one is spare. From this point onwards, we'll be seeing a sea of black and grey, so be prepared. Bags Three and Four build the base of the tower, and the Uruk. There are a whole load of useful basic black bricks, plates, and tiles, and a load of dark bluish-grey SNOT bricks, with more to come later. The 7x3 flags are new in earth blue; the new 'Elven' arches start to feature here. Bags Five and Six ... whoa. These form the SNOT sides to the tower base. Whoa. Need black plates/jumpers/headlights/bows/tiles? Look no further. Shame the 1x1 bricks with handle were on the Pick-A-Brick recently. Saruman appears with Bags Seven and Eight, and he brings with him more black jumpers and headlights: The 4x4 round plate with central cut-out is new in black. Just in front of the red Light Brick is a green and black round ball, the purpose of which we'll see in due course, if you haven't guessed already. There's also ten 1x3 black arches in this selection. Bag Nine should have been included with 7 and 8 - it forms part of the same section: the Throne Room. Here we start to see lots of black 1x2 bricks with grooves, which will feature prominently throughout the set. The two trans-yellow crystal ball globes also appear in the contemporary 79005 Wizard Battle, and serve exactly the same purpose here. Moving on to Bags Ten and Eleven, the black theme continues ... ... here accompanied by Gríma, and many more useful headlights, SNOT bricks, cheeses and tiles. The trans-clear flask with purple liquid makes its first appearance in a non-Collectable Minifigure set. Gandalf finally appears with Bags Twelve and Thirteen: 1x2 grooved bricks, 1x1 bricks, and 1x2 plates with ridge dominate the selection here; in the top right corner are several 2x2x3 slopes and their corner equivalents. Just visible at the front is a single trans-clear minifigure head - I love this part. And finally, Bags Fourteen and Fifteen build the tower's summit with its spines. There are lots of clippy- and clicky-hinges; the latter make for an interesting build technique, as we shall see. The four black 'Persian' arches contrast to the much larger quantity of 'Elven' arches we have seen earlier. Parts Summary There might not be a great spread of new or rare parts in this set, but I hope I have demonstrated the massive quantity of useful elements included. Here are the front-runners: 113 Black 1x1 Brick 86 Black 1x2 Brick with grooves 73 Black 1x2 Plate 58 Black 1x1 Brick with vertical handle 58 Black 1x2 Jumper Plate 54 Black 1x1 Headlight Brick 45 Black 1x1 Plate 41 Black 1x2 Brick 37 Black 1x1 Cheese Wedge 37 Black 1x1 Tile 37 Black 1x2 Plate with ridge 36 Black 1x10 Bow 32 Black 1x3 Brick 32 DkBGr 1x4 SNOT Brick 26 Black 1x3x3 Elven Arch All in all, this makes a great parts pack - if you need black. The Figures From left to right: Saruman the White, Gríma Wormtongue, Gandalf the Grey, Uruk-Hai, and Orc Pitmaster. Just five figures for a flagship set? It seems a bit stingy, especially considering the range which accompanies other sets of the line: this year's 79008 Pirate Ship Ambush, for example, comes with nine. However, we do also get the Eagle, and the large brick-built Ent which is an important character in itself. Moreover, Gríma is (I believe) unique to this set, and Saruman is new to this summer wave. Gandalf the Grey This version of Gandalf - prior to his level in badass after the Balrog encounter - is surprisingly rare in LEGO Lord of the Rings. He previously appeared only in the entry-level 9469 Gandalf Arrives, and there had a different face and pointy hat instead of this 'Dumbledore' hairpiece. His torso is the same here. This face is new, and reversible: amiable on one side, and ... angry? distressed? I'm not sure. This version is the same as included in the 79005 Wizard Battle - which is basically a way for people who just want Saruman to avoid having to buy this set - except he has a cape in 10237. The cape is another issue: it gets awfully crumpled under the beard and headpiece, and the latter doesn't sit comfortably above the cape. Gríma Wormtongue For a bad guy, I find Gríma's LEGO version to be rather sympathetic. He has a countenance which is somewhere between glum and scared; even his 'angry' face is tinged with fear. I like the use of tan to mimic his sallow complexion. His torso is, I believe, unique, though it looks like he's stolen the Ring for himself. His hair isn't nearly greasy enough. Saruman the White I'm slightly annoyed that this figure will soon be available in a £10 set. To be fair, this version comes with a dress and cape, and people would undoubtedly complain about having to buy a $200 set for an essential LOTR character. As head of the wizards' order, his dress robe has the necessary finery, and looks great! He also has a rubbery-feel, decorated hair-and-beard piece, which judging by its feel, decoration, and separate wrapping is presumably a Chinese production. Under the hair/beard, his face is new; though it puts me in mind more of Sean Connery than Chritopher Lee (think Marco Ramius in The Hunt for Red October, and you'll see what I mean). The set includes legs, for when the unposeable dress is too much, and the front-and-back-printed torso is simply gorgeous. Here are Gríma and Saruman for comparison - on the Orthanc balcony: TLG have captured both well. Look also to either side - it's like that tooth piece was made for Orthanc (or Orthanc designed with LEGO in mind! ). Uruk-Hai Solder This guy is nice (if a ferocious cross-bred maggot soldier can be nice ), though sadly he isn't unique. He can be found in quantity in 9471 Uruk-Hai Army, and, with the beautiful White Hand printed armour, in 9476 Orc Forge. Still, at least he's compatible with the rest of the army. His head is reversible, allowing for some variety in Uruk heads within the army; I'd like to have seen some with the White Hand in different orientations, but that might be a tall order. Orc Pitmaster This dude is ugly. But, he's meant to be. He can be found also in 9476 Orc Forge. Sadly, he doesn't have the ears/hair that one of his doubles from that set has, and I think he looks a little 'unfinished' without it. Great Eagle Although not listed as a minifigure, I've included the Eagle here. He comes in a separate polybag, suggesting Chinese production; and has the detailed printing to match. The LEGO Group haven't given him a name, and he isn't directly named in the movie, to my knowledge; however, I've read the book, and I know that he must therefore be Gwaihir the Windlord. (Apparently, in the movie version of Fellowship, Gandalf whispers 'Gwaihir' to the moth, but I confess I didn't pick that up.) Gwaihir consists of three pieces: the body/head, and the two wings. Unfortunately the head doesn't move. He's pretty big, with a magnificent wingspan, as Gandalf here demonstrates. Four studs on the top allow Gandalf to 'ride' him. I'd have preferred somewhere for him to grip, so that he looks like he's clinging on, but hey. The printing of the wings and tail-feathers is beautiful ... ... and it continues on the underside: His 'talons' aren't so hot: just a 2x2 anti-stud matrix. If you want a bigger, more versaitile eagle, use the new CREATOR one. I'm pretty pleased with this, and I'm almost glad LEGO is encouraging us to buy two copies of the Black Gate set - we'll have three eagles! The Ent Here's the unspecified Ent. I'm not sure which Ent he's meant to be - I think only Treebeard is named in the movies - but in LEGO form, he's basically a big Steampunk macha with foliage and a mushroom. There's a nicely irregular, lopsided look as befitting these strange woody creatures. Take your pick as to which of the many Ents he represents. Judging by the earth green 'beard', he might be meant to represent Treebeard himself, though the resemblance isn't perfect: The LEGO version doesn't really have a 'head'; his eyes are level with his shoulders. I couldn't find an Ent exactly like this in the movies. He does have space at the top where Merry and Pippin might perch: You can also see here the he has a Bionic Arm. Turning the grooved cylinder at the back rotates the arm around the shoulder joint. I'm not exactly clear what purpose this serves; the Ent could hurl rocks at the tower, or perhaps high-five other Ents. The gearing is stiff (achieved by using a stud-end axle in a Technic brick), so the arm will stay in whatever position you leave it: Here he's giving some kind of salute. Note the opposable thumbs, meaning he can pick up stuff. The big downside of the Bionic Arm is that the arm can't be abducted (swung outwards) at the shoulder; therefore, when the arm is lowered, the elbow has to twist uncomfortably: He looks like he's about to start dancing here. The stiff ball-joints, strong clicky-hinges at the hips, and huge feet means that he balances rather well: I'm not sure whether he's skating, or pushing something, but it's a dynamic pose. For a tree, he's quite bendy: 90 degrees movement at the hips ... ... forwards or backwards. This is handy for sticking his head in the water if it catches fire, like one Ent in the film. I haven't directly demonstrated this, but he can also swivel at the waist, where a Technic axle allows a full 360 degrees of movement. If he gets tired, he can have a rest: Note the reddish-brown 'wing-end modified bricks' that cover the arms. I hate these parts anyway, but here they are super-annoying: if you try to grip the arm, it's all to easy to apply pressure to the wing end, the result of which will be the piece pinging off across the room. Still, they do help produce a nice contour to the arms. Enty's prehensile arms enable him to pick up figures: Here he's grabbed the Orc and the Uruk. The Bionic Arm doesn't help here, but you can bash the two figures together ... ... like this: Nice. The Tower It's really hard to demonstrate in these photos, but this is a tall building. At 73cm from base to tip, it's the tallest LEGO structure I've ever built (not counting contributions to multi-coloured monoliths at LEGO roadshows when I was little, or an ugly thing I made as part of a team-building exercise at work ). There's some beautiful detailing on the structure, which we'll look at in due course. The basic construction of the tower - four pillars of black rock moulded together and tapering towards the peak with its four spines - is rendered faithfully, though obviously scaled down ... Click each frame for a larger view ... and of course the fourth pillar is missing, to allow the detailed interior to be visible. Now we'll take a look at the exterior, layer by layer, starting at the base: The black is highly reflective. Apparently Saruman lives in Heartlake next to the school. It's also a dust-magnet. I love the way the spines of rock at the base have been recreated with the long black bows, and the tall staircase leading up to the arched entranceway is simply magnificent. To see how the stairs are attached at 45 degrees, click here. Obviously, the number of spines, and the width of the staircase have been reduced to match the scale. Here's what the base should look like: The many 1x1 bricks with vertcal handle, and the 1x2 cheese wedges above, add further realism; compare here. Moving up, the next layer includes lots of little windows, made with 1x3 arches mounted on jumper plates at a half-stud offset. These are rather fiddly to build, but the result is great. Here also is Saruman's balcony, from which he surveys the building of his army and the wanton destruction of his own garden. Again, the detail is reproduced as faithfully as possible given the scale: Click for an alternative shot of this level Those rubbery tooth-pieces are perfect facsimiles of the spines higher up; 1x2 bricks with grooves are used to mimic the vertical spines above the windows. Higher still, we encounter some tall windows made with 6L bars set vertically under Elven arches. Sorry about the dust. You'll notice that the tower tapers in stages, produced by slope bricks at various intervals; the effect is rather more sudden than I'd like, but I think it is forgiveable. Bear in mind that - at minifigure scale - the tower would have to be about three and a half metres tall for the top to be the equivalent of 'five hundred feet about the plain'. I don't know about you, but we don't have room for that in our house. Approaching the summit, some three-brick tall slopes help to taper the tower more gently, and we find more of the tooth-pieces - again accurate to the real tower. I was a little perturbed by the dark bluish-grey stripes which indicate the floors at various levels; however, if you compare to this distant shot, there do appear to be lighter stripes at various levels. This may be a trick of the light, but it excuses the DBG to some extent. There's a notable anomaly in the open-backed construction of the tower: the side pillars are wider than they should be. This is to allow more depth to the interior. I'd like to see someone build a 'complete' tower, which you could probably do with two of these sets (and probably make it a little taller, too. ) Edit: Someone has! See Missing Brick's back wall here. Finally, Gandalf gets imprisoned at the summit platform: I absolutely adore the four SNOT-mounted spines here, with their 'serrated' lower edges. You can just about see these details in this shot. They are attached with an interesting technique: two 1-wide 'male' clicky-hinges on the spines marry to two 2-wide 'female' ones on the central column. This produces both a sturdy connection and a half-stud offset, centering the spines nicely. The Interior Now we get to see inside the great tower, starting with Gandalf's arrival to visit his master Saruman, before his betrayal was revealed. Inside the entrance hall, we find some stickered flags representing drapes emblazoned with the White Hand of Saruman; there's a little statue formed of a plain LEGO Games figure, and some Classic Castle axes in pearl dark grey. The dark blue tile on the floor has a sticker with a diminutive version of this pattern - fantastic attention to detail, even if the result is a little smaller than the real thing, and should really be in the throne room rather than here. This is the best place for Gandalf and Saruman to fight with sticks. Remember the chandelier; it's important. Note also the grooved round brick facing the camera ... ... this controls a trap door ... ... which opens as Gandalf faceplants onto the floor ... ... and drops him into the dungeon. Exactly how it happened in the movie. Ahem. Inside the dungeon hide some stickered Wargs, some creepy eyes, a ball and chain and some bones. Gandalf looks annoyed, probably because he's fallen into a Plot Hole. The box art has Saruman throwing an Orc into the dungeon instead. Moving up, the next room is the Throne Room, containing an ornate throne and the Palantír - one of the Seeing Stones of Númenor, and the source of Saruman's betrayal as he gazed too far and was ensared by the Eye of Mordor. Here Gríma has joined Saruman, to witness the Palantír in use. Pushing up on the chandelier below ... ... activates the Light Brick ... ... and the Palantír glows! But only if you orientate it with the green side down. It's a pity you can't lock the light on - it requires constant finger pressure to keep it lit - but I guess it saves on battery life. An alternative view of this room shows off the bookcases, formed from SNOT-mounted plates and tiles, with a loose stickered 'parchment' tile; there are also colured phials of arcane liquids. The two tall 'lamps' with yellow globes represent these (seen unlit also in the previuous linked picture). Identical lamps are found in the related set 79005 Wizard Battle, which as I've already said is a significantly cheaper alternative for people who want a Saruman figure. I guess the room above is the 'Alchemy Room' - it's where Saruman Builds the Bomb. Gríma is actually meant to be in this scene, though he's looking a little self-conscious. The bomb is mounted on a platform which rotates forward via a little gear (hidden behind Saruman here). Saruman is standing on a 2x2 jumper tile which normally holds the bomb 'lid'. Here we can see the wonderful, tall, arched and barred windows from the inside. More jars and bottles line the shelves; the torches are - wisely - unlit. Floor five is a little chamber with more bookcases, and a couple of large stickered books which may be grimoires, and skulls for arcane value. Pictures of five wizards line the walls, and might indicate that this room is a wizardly council chamber - though you'd be hard pressed to squeeze more than two wizards in here. Saruman, as head of the order, takes pride of place in the centre ... ... while on his left is Radagast the Brown. Radagast plays a significant role in the LOTR novels, but is all but ignored in the films; he is mentioned but once in The Hobbit book, but is cast in the movie: see his image here. The stickered image is a good representation. Two other wizards form part of the Order, but are not named in either the LOTR or Hobbit books; they should both be Blue, but this one is - apparently - also Grey. Note the stickered map on the wall. [Edit - I just watched the first Hobbit movie. There's a lovely in-joke, where Gandalf cannot remember the names of the other two Blue wizards. ] On the right is Gandalf the Grey, and another wizard, this one also Brown. At least the numbers are correct! Another bookcase is found here. On the ceiling is a little trans-clear inverted dome, mounted on a turntable - we'll see what it is for shortly. The sixth and final floor is Saruman's Secret Chamber. In it, his true allegiance to the Eye of Morder is revealed, and he keeps some Uruk armour as mementoes, it seems, along with spare staves. The helmet rests on a trans-clear minifigure head with a round 1x1 tile, also trans-clear. The Keys of Orthanc hang on the wall: the one on the left has some ugly plastic flashing attached, which I'm sure wouldn't have passed quality control in Billund, so probably originates elsewhere. The Secret Room is accessed via a trap door with a folding ladder. Rotating the turntable on the ceiling of the room below allows the trap door to open, and the ladder unfolds. It's a little tight on space, but can be done without removing walls. This is the only means of climbing from one floor to another in the whole tower - save for the entrance staircase. Perhaps the main tower staircase is in the missing fourth wall? Comparison I've saved this move still till now, as it best sums up the entire set: Orcs try to topple and Ent with a rope and grappling hook, with the best exterior shot of the tower in the background. This is also the only decent shot I could find of the tall barred windows of the Bomb Room. Compare the tower again to here. Conclusion Click for a larger image Orthanc features prominently in two parts of the movie trilogy: the encounter between Saruman and Gandalf, in which Gandalf is imprisoned on the summit until rescued by Gwaihir the Eagle; and the destruction of Isengard by the Ents. This set attempts to recreate both scenes, while also allowing for Bomb-building scene with Gríma, and for Saruman to survey his 'army' of Uruk-Hai - if you've managed to collect a significant proportion of the ten thousand figures you'd need! In addition, there are some added extras not in the movies, in the form of the dungeon, the Council Chamber, and the Secret Room, all produced with remarkable detail for such small spaces. The Tower itself is a brave production. There is no way the five-hundred foot tower could be recreated accurately in LEGO bricks at a scale compatible with the rest of the range, and at an affordable price. The result is a necessary compromise - it looks a little squat from certain angles, and tapers perhaps too suddenly, but I hope you'll agree that the outcome is still remarkable - for its detail, its beauty, and its size. And that's just the outside. Inside are six floors of detailed interior, recreating several important scenes from the movies, and packed with little features making the model both a great play-set and a wonderful display and talking-point. TLG have been a little stingy with the figures - I'd have thought that Merry and Pippin could have been included to sit on the Ent; or, failing that, at least another Orc and Uruk, but we do get the one and only Ent figure yet released, in addition to the lovely Eagle mold. All in all, I'm delighted with the set. It's far more impressive in the flesh than even the box art or press-release pictures suggest; of my pictures, only the final 'Conclusion' photo really does justice to its size. It's also a great source of black parts, at a reasonable price-to-part ratio; however, I think I'll keep this built. If I can find a shelf to put it on! Design & Build 9 There's some fantastic attention to detail in the architectural features of the Tower, and a remarkable number of features crammed into the interior. Building the tower is interesting, with plenty of SNOT techniques and offsets used to reproduce the tower's design as faithfully as possible; there is by necessity a little repetition but far less than you might expect. And the result is well worth the effort. Parts 8 If you're after rare or new parts, you might be disappointed, but the set is probably the best source of useful black pieces that I have ever seen. I will never complain about basic bricks in useful colours, and the quantity of headlights and jumper plates is awesome. There's also surprisingly little multi-coloured filler. Figures 8 Gríma is the only unique figure. Saruman could have been a big selling-point had TLG not decided to release him in an entry-level set; he does come with a unique skirt in this set. Coupled with the Black Gate set, Gwaihir will allow the building of a little Eagle Army; the Ent figure is brick-built (and could perhaps be cobbled together from spare parts), but this is the only Ent yet available in the whole LEGO LOTR range. Play and Display 9 Bearing the 14+ age guide, this is an adult-orientated set, but nevertheless includes quite a range of play features, whether it be recreating movie scenes or bashing orcs with the Ent. Mostly, though, Orthanc makes a superb centre-piece for your LOTR display - though it will tend to dwarf the other sets. Value 9 $200 or £170 might be a little outside many people's budget, but for just under 2400 pieces - and useful ones - this actually represents good value. Add to that the enjoyable building experience, and the magnificent result, and I think that the set is well-worth the money. Overall 86% My Score 9/10 This monster is a joy to build and to own. A must for any die-hard Lord of the Rings fan, and a great set for any LEGO Collector. Orthanc you for reading. Please leave a comment! Rufus Acknowledgements All movie scenes © New Line Cinema EB Staff for assistance - especially Rick, Pandora, and ISC. And Hinckley for encouraging 'schnell'. Resources Orthanc at Tolkien Gateway Orthanc at LOTR Wiki LEGO LOTR Page LOTR on Shop@Home My flickr set Endpiece Treebeard forgets which movie he is supposed to be in If you like my reviews, and would like to learn how it's done, please consider joining the Reviewers Academy

LOTR 2013 Line-up (Release: June) Warning all pictures link to HR versions which can be up to +6000.pxl all pictures posted from GRogall 79005 The Wizard Battle S@H 113 pcs. US$ $12.99, $15.99 CDN, DE 14,99 €,UK £11.99 Recreate The Wizard Battle at The Tower of Orthanc, as Gandalf the Grey takes on his mentor and old friend, Saruman, who has fallen under the influence of Sauron while gazing into his palantir. Saruman will stop at nothing to deliver the One Ring to his new master and serve him by helping to conquer Middle-earth. Avoid the spinning palantir’s spell, cast powerful staff magic and send Saruman flying from his throne! Stay away from Sauron’s mesmerizing gaze or risk being enslaved yourself! Includes 2 minifigures with staffs: Gandalf the Grey and Saruman. 79006 The Council of Elrond S@H 243 pcs. US$ $29.99, $34.99 CDN, DE 39,99 €,UK £29.99 Build the majestic Elven city of Rivendell, home to Elrond and his beautiful warrior-princess daughter, Arwen. Call Gimli and Frodo Baggins to The Council of Elrond to plan the destruction of the One Ring and the defeat of Sauron. Place the Ring on the podium and recreate this classic scene from The Fellowship of the Ring! Send Gimli flying with the launch function when he tries to destroy the Ring with his axe. Beware the Eye of Sauron, as he draws closer to the Ring that will lead to the fall of Middle-earth! Includes 4 minifigures with weapons: Elrond, Arwen, Frodo Baggins and Gimli. 79007 Battle at the Black Gate S@H 656 pcs. US$ $59.99, $74.99 CDN, DE 89,99 €,UK £59.99 Fly the Great Eagle high above the Black Gate of Mordor where Aragorn and Gandalf the White must distract the Eye of Sauron. Use them to stage a scene while Frodo Baggins and his friend Sam throw the One Ring into the fiery depths of Mount Doom and destroy it forever. To reach the Ring’s final destination, you must defeat the Mouth of Sauron and the Mordor Orcs positioned high in the spiked gate walls. Then breach the gate and lead the attack on the enemy! Includes a Great Eagle and 5 minifigures with weapons: Aragorn, Gandalf the White, Mouth of Sauron and 2 Mordor Orcs. 79008 Pirate Ship Ambush S@H 756 pcs. US$ $99.99, $129.99 CDN, DE 99,99 €,UK £89.99 On the shores of Minas Tirith, Sauron’s Mordor Orcs prepare to greet their allies aboard the Pirate Ship – but all is not as it seems. Pull up alongside them, drop the anchors and lead a surprise attack with Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas Greenleaf and the Army of the Dead. This majestic Corsair ship features 3 large sails, removable rear section with dungeon and Pirate of Umbar prisoner, firing crossbow and loads of armor and weapons! Capture the Orc catapult and lead the glow-in-the-dark King of the Dead and his soldiers into battle at the War of the Ring! Includes 9 minifigures with weapons and accessories: Aragorn, Legolas Greenleaf, Gimli, 2 Mordor Orcs, the King of the Dead, 2 Soldiers of the Dead and a Pirate of Umbar. 10237 The Tower of Orthanc S@H 2359 pcs. US$ 199.99 Finally, collect one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic buildings of The Lord of the Rings™ trilogy: The Tower of Orthanc™! Build all 6 highly detailed floors filled with fascinating movie-related details including the attic, library, alchemy room, Saruman’s throne room, entrance hall and dungeon. This exclusive model stars in some of the most iconic scenes from The Lord of the Rings movies. Swoop down with the Great Eagle and rescue stranded Gandalf the Grey from his tower-top prison after his defeat at the hands of the white wizard, Saruman. Build the powerful, tree-like Ent, with poseable limbs and cool swinging arm function, then attack the Uruk-hai and Orc Pitmaster while Saruman and his servant Grima Wormtongue take refuge high in the tower. The Tower of Orthanc is a must-have model for any The Lord of the Rings collection! Includes a Great Eagle, buildable Ent figure and 5 minifigures with weapons: Saruman with kirtle outfit, Grima Wormtongue, Gandalf the Grey, an Uruk-hai and the Orc Pitmaster. All pictures are © 2013 The Lego Group The Hobbit 2013 Line-up (release December) 79011 Dol Guldor Ambush $19.99 79012 Mirkwood Elf Army $29.99 Lake Town Chase $49.99 79014 Dol Guldor Battle $69.99 Image first posted by LOTR343 -Sci

For Round 3 of the 2014-15 Middle Earth LEGO Olympics on MOCpages. My category was Pippin, so this is my interpretation of the scene in Return of the King when Pippin looks into the Palantír while in Edoras. I wanted to capture the emotion of the scene, rather than just recreating it. He feels trapped the Eye, consumed in darkness. And in the distance, he can see the Tree of Gondor burning, signifying the fall of the Minas Tirith.

Boromir & The Ring Back again! For round three of the Middle Earth Lego Olympics over on Mocpages, we were again asked to build a creation based on a character assigned to us; and this time I was given Boromir. I've chosen to construct a creation based on the scene where Boromir is driven mad by the power of the Ring, and attempts to steal it from Frodo--who escapes from him by wearing it. The build is made from the perspective of Frodo while wearing the One Ring. Build Time: 10-12 Hours Enjoy! ~Nemo

SIGN THE PETITION HERE : http://www.change.or...rd-of-the-rings LIKE AND SHARE ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/savelegolotr Already shared on: - 1000steine.de forum (thanks to Diggydoes) - imperiumdersteine.de forum (thanks to Diggydoes) - bricksetforum.com forum (thanks to SMC) - lowlug.nl forum (thanks to General Magma) - theonering.net forum (thanks to General Magma) - forum.rebelscum.com forum (thanks to atreyu2112) - classic-castle.com forum (thanks to Mencot) - skockani.com forum (thanks to Dzoni90) - forum.kockice.hr forum (thanks to Dzoni90) - lordofthebrick.com frontpage (combined effort) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Eurobricks members and LEGO the Lord of the Rings enthousiasts, as we know, the future for LEGO LotR looks very dim with currently no advertisement for a next wave in the instructions of the last Hobbit wave, and no mention of LotR sets in the retailer catalog. It is almost sure that LEGO The Lord of the Rings is over. To most of us the line feels incomplete with the lack of several important characters (like the Witch-King, Eowyn, Sauron and Faramir), factions (especially Gondor), buildings (mainly Minas Tirith) and creatures (like the Balrog, Treebeard and mountain trolls). Many of us feel that this theme needs just one wave to 'complete' the LEGO Lord of the Rings. Even only one set, which is preferably set in Gondor, could solve most of our problems. For example, you can make a Battle of the Pelennor Fields as big as you want (depicting several stages of the battle and the preceding events) with the Witch-King on fell beast, Éowyn, wounded Faramir, Gondor soldiers, a mountain troll, a piece of Minas Tirith, etc. To raise awareness I would like to start a petition to let LEGO know that we care. I know some of you think this will not matter, but maybe it will. If we get enough support maybe we can at least get an official statement from TLG that LEGO LotR is over and why. I am working on the format right now, but to make this a strong statement I could use your help. Thank you very much for your help.

This was a back-up entry to the Middle Earth LEGO Olympics on MOCpages. I built it before hand just in case the entry I actually submitted (which you can see here: http://www.eurobrick...00#entry2103221) didn't work out. :) The category is to take a song from the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit movies (this one being "May It Be," which is played during the credits in Fellowship of the Ring) and interpret it into a build. I don't really have thoughts on why I chose this scene, other than the fact that whenever I heard the song, this one always came to mind. :)

LEGO Rivendell over 120,000 pieces as seen in "The Hobbit An Unexpected Gathering" See pics at http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/400082

My entry to Round 1 of the Middle Earth LEGO Olympics over on MOCpages. The category is to take a song from the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit movies, my choice being "Edge of Night," performed by Billy Boyd (Pippin) in Return of the King, and interpret it into a build. :)

Witch-King Battle Set #: 79015 Theme: Hobbit Year Released: 2014 Piece Count: 101 Minifigs: 3 List Price: $14.99 Box Art: The color for the Battle of the Five Armies sets is green. It is a nice look but it does not match the other Dol Guldur sets. That is not an issue for me as I recycle the empty boxes after I build the sets. Here is a side view of the box as well. When you first open your box, you will find two small bags and the instructions. I gathered the minifigure parts immediately. After all, they are the main attraction in this set. I took a photo of the capes themselves. Here are the completed minifigs. Front: Back: Back without Hair, Crown, and Capes: Before moving on to the completed build, lets compare these minifigs: Ring Wraiths and the Mouth of Sauron: Only the Witch-King's head glows in the dark. Elronds, Past, Present and Future: Here are two Elrond mashups to show army builder potential. The first using head and hair from Mirkwood Elf Army and the second from the CMF Elf. Lady Elves: And now the final build: It is showed as with the two sections of the build joined together. However, it can be separated. The Witch-King is on a piece that can be rotated. The catapult will also move the skeleton torso. There are also all the pieces to make a full skeleton once you scrap this set for parts. Speaking of parts, there are only a few spare parts. For those that are interested in the background art of the instructions, here is a sample page. Here is the parts list from the instructions. In case you want see if your Toys R Us has this set, here is the code from the receipt. By popular request, here is the Witch-king Battle with the other Dul Guldur sets. There are only a few connection points possible between these sets. Witch-King Battle has one male connection in the middle of the set and two female connections. One is in the middle and one on the end. That means that one side is not available to be connected to any set. If you remove half of the Witch-king Battle, you can connect the build to the tower of Dul Guldur Battle. Here is WKB joined with DGA Now we can subtract half of WKB. Here is a better view at the connectors on the three sets. In this photo, you can see that the other side of DGB's tower uses a single male connector which does not fit with the double female connectors of the other sets. The other side of the builds to show the connectors. I hope you enjoyed my first review. And now the score! Design: 8/10. Well the design is decent we don't collect the Hobbit sets for the builds. Still the feel of this build matches the other two Dol Guldur sets very well. Parts: 10/10 There is an excellent selection of bricks for your castle MOCs. My favorite parts are the red leaf piece and the window with the black bars. However, you get a decent selection of reddish brown and gray parts too. Build: 8/10 It was a simple build which is expected at this price point. Still it is a random amount of ruins. Playability: 10/10 There is a catapult, a Witch-King launcher, and part of a skeleton that moves with the catapult. That is more play features that some mid-sized sets get. Price: 10/10 There exclusive minifigs for less than $15. The Witch-King's crown is a new mold which Elrond and Galadriel both has new colors of their hair piece. That more than makes up for a price per piece higher than 10 cents. Overall: 46/50 (92 %) This is an excellent set for fans either The Hobbit films or Lord of the Rings. I plan on getting at least one more set to make a purist custom of Eowyn in Meduseld. None of the torsos have fleshie bits which makes these a good idea for tradition Castle fans as well. Hobbit wave three appears to be the last Middle-Earth sets. If so, don't miss your opportunity to complete your collection. Even if you are not a big fan of the Hobbit movies, you will want Galadriel and the twilight version of the Witch-King.

Hello! This is my first post and my first completed MOC! I have been lurking here for a while now, marveling at everyones amazing work and figured it was time to give it a try. I think I posted the pics at the right size and all that (please let me know if I didn't!) Anyways, I think the MOC speaks for itself but it's just a recreation of the Nativity of Jesus with Tolkien characters (elves, dwarves, hobbits, Earendil playing the role of the Christmas star, etc) Enjoy! 1 by fangorn_treebeard22, on Flickr earendil by fangorn_treebeard22, on Flickr Holy Family by fangorn_treebeard22, on Flickr There are a few more pics on my Flickr. Feedback is greatly appreciated! Merry Christmas!

Here I would like to share with you a Lord of the Rings MOC that I have been working on for quite some time now. Here I present to you my take on the most fearsome of demons from Middle Earth, the Balrog: LEGO Lord of the Rings - Balrog by TheOneVeyronian, on Flickr LEGO Lord of the Rings - Balrog by TheOneVeyronian, on Flickr LEGO Lord of the Rings - Balrog by TheOneVeyronian, on Flickr This beast contains over a thousand parts and is very poseable and can stand up on it's own two feet despite being relatively heavy. The chain which I used to represent the Balrog's whip is held up by means of craft wire, but other than that, it is completely purist. The final model ended up being mostly dark bluish grey as you can see. Black may have been better suited to it, but some of the vital textural parts used on the arms and legs just do not exist in black, hence the colour choice here. A gallery containing more pictures and a special fire effect POV-Ray render can be found in this Flickr album, near the bottom. If you would like the LDD file, it is here. Note that most of the flames are missing here. I do hope to eventually build the entire scene with the Balrog from the Mines of Moria sequence of Fellowship of the Ring, so stay tuned... Thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoyed looking at this MOC!

Hi everyone, I would like to share with you my latest creation: Treebeard the ent in the style of an official lego set. I took inspiration from the videogame when i started the face and beard but quickly found out that the design would have been too fragile in real life, so after completing the face I built him using a mixture of LDD and playing with my own bricks I had to hand. It was extremely satisfying to experiment the design using in-hand bricks rather than just using the software as I normally do, a process which has lead me to one of my all time favorite creations of one of my favorite characters in fiction. One thing I discovered while sourcing parts is that element 6091 in brown is very rare which is why I didn't use it for his horn for example. "Little orcs...*grumble* " See more pictures and my other creations here: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/401108

Hello everybody, I present you my last creation where I tried to recreate some fantastic Middle Earth places: Rivendell and Erebor and join them together in just one single mountain (.. sorry I mean MOC) . The MOC integrates three original Lord of the rings/Hobbit sets: 79006 (the Council of Elrond), 79018 (The lonely mountain) and 79015 (The witch king battle). Let's start with the elves, I tried to reconstruct the house of Elrond with the cascade and throne of the king of the elves. Interiors are not so detailed, that's the throne room: From the first picture, you may have notice the entrance to Erebor, the other side of the MOC, in fact, is the realm of the dwarves: well, I hope you liked and I will be happy to hear some comments to improve/extend it :sweet: :sweet:

Hi, I'm Anduin1710 and I'm an AFOL from Germany. I was born in East Berlin, this means to get a little LEGO set was always like birthday, x-mas and eastern together! And Lego was always very expensive too. ... I started to buy and collecting Lego, since I found the Lego Minifiures Series 2. I'm very interessed in history, so I found the historical minifigures pritty cool. I like Star Wars too, so I stared to buy some Lego Star Wars sets. I found the Lego Digital Designer to creat my own MOCs on my computer. I'm a big THE LORD OF THE RINGS fan, so I started to build my own LOTR sets. And with the Lego LOTR and THE HOBBIT sets my dream come true. In April 2014 I joined Lego cuusoo (now it is lego ideas) to publish my creations. Here are my projects: You can also visit me on flickr. Thank you for your attention.

Even after the end of the War of the Ring, a few Orc packs remained, but without their master, these were hunted down and slain.

My final entry to Category C. This is one of my favorite scene of the Desolation of Smaug movie, and I've waiting for a good chance to recreate it in LEGO.