LDD MOC - Minas Tirith set

[Yooha]

Hi everyone,

Speculations are coming whether there will be a next wave of LOTR sets this year ot not, since there are no sign of them. There are several scenes/caracters that we miss so much! The most iconic is – at least for me – Minas Tirith!

I dared to design something, that could be released as an official sets. I tried to think with TLG’s head, regarding piece and minifig count and playability. This is what I came up with:

The whole set with Minas Tirith gate, Grond, the tower with the signaling fire with some minifigs.

The Grond from a closer view. The ram itself is hanged on chains, so you can swing it, when you try to break the gate. Because you can break the gate!

You can see two technic bars at the two side of the gate. [1st picture] If you remove them, the gate can be pushed back from forward, imitating the siege, when the Wolf’s head crashes the gate.

The rear view. The gate can be closed. I admit, I run out of steam with the furniture, so it’s a little empty. That was not my main point. :)

The minifigs:

Rear row: Two orcs in battle armor, Gothmog and a Cave Troll.

First row. Pippin in Minas Tirith Guard outfit, Gandalf the white and two Gondorian soldiers.

Disclaimer: I used the parts that are available in LDD so I had to live with its limitations. No proper LOTR troll mold and no new molds of course (For Gothmog’s head for instance). And the whole model is a compressed version of part of the city, but it is not unusual in official LEGO sets. The tower with the fire is not so close to the gate, but I wanted to add as many play feature as possible. The Citadel was left out though. I don't think it could be built together with the gate without making the city to small.

Yes, there is a ballista. Remember, think like TLG.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Yooha

[Mr. Cube]

Nice idea, great set. But I think that "Minas Tirith Gate" set would be better name.

[Alcarin]

Its exactly my ''vision'' except I would remove the beacon part and prolong the wall a few studs on each side....

[Deathleech]

It looks pretty good! How many pieces did it take? It looks like it would be around the $80-100 price point since it appears significantly bigger than the $60 Black Gates set. Now just give us that and another $30 army builder add on and I think fans would be satisfied.

[BEAVeR]

Wow, this seams really plausible. It reminds me a lot of the Black Gate set. You've recreated Grond pretty good considering the limitations, and I love the beacon. Maybe a function to drop the flame would be nice.

As a small additional set, I could see the white tree with Denethor, and perhaps a big catapult.

So are you planning to expand your collection?

[Yooha]

How many pieces did it take?

I'm not at home so I can't look at it, but I remember around 1000.

As a small additional set, I could see the white tree with Denethor, and perhaps a big catapult.

So are you planning to expand your collection?

I considered the building with the throne room and the white tree, but since it is SO MUCH ABOVE the gate, the two sets would look silly next to each other. The Citadel should been elevated so much, that it would consume thousands of bricks, which is not feasable for an official set.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Yooha

[Mr. Cube]

"that it would consume thousands of bricks"..not if the panels (for walls, for rocks) would be used.

[Blazej_Holen]

Sorry but minifigs good, design is really poor. Nice start, but its not IT. I will buy set like this only for minifigs, but 1000pcs set is not army builder, so I will buy max. 3 of them. This is not what I imagine. But I apreciate your try :)

[The-Daryl]

This is very cool! And, imo, pretty realistic for an actual/possible set design. I especially like the troll reissue :)

[Hive]

I like it, but I think it's unrealistic to expect LEGO to ever release such a big siege weapon. I do like the functionality, though.

[SMC]

Well I would buy it but that's not saying a lot as I buy every set, how about I would runs and buy it and give it a hug. Great work

And keep the beacon, it looks good and adds to play value.

[Yooha]

Sorry but minifigs good, design is really poor. Nice start, but its not IT. I will buy set like this only for minifigs, but 1000pcs set is not army builder, so I will buy max. 3 of them. This is not what I imagine. But I apreciate your try :)

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Believe it or not, this opinion is the closest to mine. I wouldn't say "really poor", only "poor". The interior needs a HUGE improvement, and some uniqueness for the walls would be good. I was focusing on: having a Grond, making the gate possible to break, and have the beacon (that's the word I couldn't find). And the minfig selection of course.

I imagine designing an official set take weeks if not months and there are several stages between the 1st try and the one that goes into production. And it is a teamwork, while this one is the product of a single mind and is only the 1st try.

I just didn't want to say only "hey, let's have a gate and a Grond and some walls" and wanted to challange myself and design something. So thanks for the harsh words :)

By the way, why are quote/multiquote/edit buttons there?

Edited January 15, 2014 by Yooha

[Bring More Popcorn]

Great start to what could be an outstanding set! I think the addition of some more light stone grey bricks mixed in there with the white bricks would be good though. An almost pure white Minas Tirith just looks too clean to me. I also think that the beacon should be replaced by something behind the gates, maybe an armory, or the infamous rat catcher shop? I just think the beacon feels weird alongside the gate, considering it's meant to be the highest point of Minas Tirith.

I would also love a strict army builder set that could be used to extend the surrounding wall. I'd imagine it to be an orc siege tower, a Minas Tirith wall extension, 3 orcs & 2 Gondorians. If it's possible to keep the brick count low enough, a $40-$50 price point I think would be perfect.

Anyways, keep the good ideas coming! This has definitely got me thinking.

[Infernum]

Great idea and build! I'd love for a Minas Tirith set to come with a Grond as nicely built as the one here! Great work!

[Alfadas]

I say, this is a nice set! Would love to see it in set form, and a battle pack to support it with an add-on for the wall would be great!

[kabel]

Really nice try, really close to what Lego would do!

Minas Tirith without the beacon, are you guys kidding? I think it's the best part and an absolute must!

[Nagyzee]

I considered the building with the throne room and the white tree, but since it is SO MUCH ABOVE the gate, the two sets would look silly next to each other. The Citadel should been elevated so much, that it would consume thousands of bricks, which is not feasable for an official set.

Hmm, isn't the beacon even further up the hills than the Citadel?

[Bring More Popcorn]

Really nice try, really close to what Lego would do!

Minas Tirith without the beacon, are you guys kidding? I think it's the best part and an absolute must!

The beacon is really cool and would be great to have, I think some of us just feel as though it's out of place with the front gates. Now if it came in a smaller set, maybe with the white tree of Gondor, it would be more fitting. Possibly have one of the guards of the tree and Pippin in that set, I think it would be a top seller. It would also offer up a minifig slot for this current gate design, swap Pippin for another soldier or something.

[Deathleech]

I dunno, I feel like the beacon kind of makes the set stand out despite being out of place. If the beacon wasn't there, it would just be another wall with a gate like Mines of Moria, Dol Guldur Battle, and the Black Gates sets. If Lego were to go this route ultimately I think they should do the sets in different tiers. How they would connect them and make them actually resemble Minas Tirith is beyond me.

[Erathor Pridenar]

This looks very cool! Though the beacon is out of place, it would be really fun for kids to play with and they would enjoy it, in my opinion. Good job!

[Haltiamieli]

Good model! I do wish that Lego would have done a set along these lines, with the gates and Grond... maybe they still might, who knows. I haven't yet given up all hope...

Like some others I do find the beacon tower distracting and strange here "on the plain", as good as it looks by itself. I think the set could do without if the wall would be modified to be a little bit less flat. The sidewalls could already start to curve a bit inwards, suggesting the overall shape of Minas Tirith? There could also be extending battlements on the both sides of the gate, like in the movie model.

The most distinctive thing about the gates as I remember them are the carven statues, and last night I was inspired by your MOC to try whether I could include those in the model somehow in this scale. I got a bit carried away, but here's the result... In the end my version ended up being a tad taller and wider than yours, oops. But the doors themselves are of similar size.

[Trunkbass]

@ Haltiamieli: Wow, this really looks like the gate of Minas Tirith! Nice work!

What program did you use to design this (I'm new to these things)?

[Sigolf Brimabane]

I think the Gondor soldiers should use the Roman tower shield, and something like this helmet but modified:

[lord raphael]

This is a great idea for a set but it would be better to take gandalf out and put in another orc?Also apart from that it seems marvellous.But maybe you should give the hobbit a weapon and design a white tree inside.

[Deathleech]

Here was what I came up with while messing around one night:

The biggest problem is how square the first tier wall looks. It's not as bad for the second tier because there aren't as many flat walls making it up so it looks more curved. Here is a hinged version that gives you more "roundness", but at the expense of some big gaps between the walls:

This would probably work best as it allows you to make the wall more round no matter how many or few extra walls you buy. No gate, but they could easily be added to a base wall set. I seriously doubt Lego would ever make a set that requires an expensive gate purchase and then 10+ army builder/wall sections like in my first picture, but it's just an example.