Fives

Got four more Uruk-Hai Army sets and the Orc Forge. Almost done my Helm's Deep setup, just need four more Uruk Army sets to finish it.

I was just thinking about the new 'backpack' feature this game has. It is a really cool idea, and it got me thinking 'Will it hold outfits?'. So, rather than having three or four Aragorns taking up space in the character circles, Aragorn could just have his different outfits (Ranger, Helm's Deep, Black Gate, King) stored in his backpack. From what was seen in the demo footage from E3, the backpacks can hold quite a bit, and each of the Fellowship members only has so many important items they use, so maybe alternate clothes could be stored there too. It was just a thought. It would be cool, and would be a way for there to be more space for more characters rather than a bunch of alternates.

I've just made a thread for discussing set releases dates and availability, so this thread doesn't get too cluttered with that sort of stuff. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=71666

I've noticed that over the last few weeks, the LOTR discussion thread has become cluttered with talk about set releases and availability. I thought that that thread wasn't the place to talk about that, and seeing as the Star Wars forum has something like this, why not LOTR? So, let the discussing begin!

I think that's only for Star Wars. With POTC, LEGO was able to produce a battle pack, although it was a sad a pitiful thing. If LEGO wanted to maximize their profits in the army building area of LOTR, battle packs similar to the old Castle or Kingdoms ones, with about five guys and a bunch of weapons, would be the best route to go. That way fans can stockpile soldiers from their favourite factions of Middle-Earth without spending too much money.

One does not simply waltz into Mordor. I just got four more Uruk Army sets and one Orc Forge, and I have come to the conclusion that Uruk-hai look way cooler when there are lots of them. I also love the Mordor orcs, and really want to get more of them, maybe ten in total, along with ten goblins total. But that may not be possible as of right now. I really like the Lurtz fig. It's nice to have an actual commander other than Nazgul for my baddies. I also don't mind that he doesn't wear armor and is basically naked. It makes him stand out in the army, and gives him this fearless look, as if he's saying 'Yeah, I'm so strong and powerful, I don't even need armor'.

It's a tricky game. I didn't realize you had to switch from one place to the other so no area would get overrun. I finally beat it, but it does look like it will be updated with more levels. As for the Elrond fig, I do hope they make dark blue chain mail printing for him. And if the currently available figures are any indication of the amount of detail being put into these figs, I wouldn't doubt dark blue chain mail. I am also very excited to see the new elven blade in its entirety, and what colour it will be. Maybe this Elrond fig will be included in some special exclusive set released in september, because I really doubt LEGO would leak their own photo on their own site this far in advance. It only makes sense that this figure will appear in a set coming out relatively soon, probably before the Hobbit sets. Then again, this is all speculation.

It could be King Aragorn from his Coronation. At the Coronation, he wore a full suit of armor, but during the Battle of the Morannon, he wore something more similar to Faramir's ranger outfit, so an exclusive armored Aragorn could be likely. I also just thought maybe they could do Smeagol while he was still a Hobbit, before the ring corrupts him. Or maybe a twilight Ringwratith or a (non- poseable) trans clear Frodo with the Ring on.

Since we have seen a sneak peek at the Elrond fig (it is inevitable that he will appear sooner or later, and this pic makes me think sooner), I've thought of a way they could tackle the Battle of Dagorlad. Rather than making a big battle scene with lots of orcs, men and elves, LEGO could make a set similar in size with Shelob Attacks. Sauron could be brick built, with a special moulded head/helmet and mace (maybe). The rest of him would be brick built, with either printing or suckers to give him armor detail. There could be a function to blow him up, so his arms, legs, torso, and head all dislocate from each other, to recreate his physical destruction. The rest of the set could have a bit of mountainside where Elendil gets thrown. Minifigs could include Elrond, Isildur and Elendil, with a special exclusive broken Narsil, so it would just be the handle and the bit of the blade. I would just love to see the scene where Elrond takes Isildur into Orodruin recreated on the back of the box. To accompany that set, LEGO could make a battle pack. The battle pack could have some mountains (maybe a little function to recreate the orcs being shot of the mountain slopes), and have four figs total, two good and two evil. There could be a Noldor elf with longbow and a sword and shield, and a Numenorean with sword and shield, while there could be two orcs with assorted weapons. Get a few of these with the Sauron set and you essentially have the Battle of Dagorlad. Also, Elander mentioned how there are glow in the dark figs in the new Monster Fighters theme, and how that is what LEGO should use for the Army of the Dead. I think this is perfect. What I would love to see would be a Corsair ship with maybe three Corsairs, the Kind of the Dead, and the three hunters, and maybe two more Oathbreakers. Then, like the Sauron set, there could be a corresponding battle pack with some more Soldiers of the Dead and Corsairs.

I have every set except for the Orc Forge. I have three of the Uruk Army sets, and plan on buying 8 more to complete my Helm's Deep. I agree with you that LEGO accomplished a balance between I'd friendly sets and details wanted by AFOLs. I remember when this theme was first announce, after I had a little freak out of excitement, I was thinking of how they would tackle such a grand story, based on films that aren't really child friendly. Then I thought if how they did POTC, which is a little more kid friendly, but still it's pretty scary, and knew they would be able to make it work. The result is outstanding. I think a major reason why these sets are selling so well is, aside from all the LOTR fans, there are plenty of castle fans who buy these sets for parts, and I think some parents would be more willing to buy their kid a set based around heroes fighting magical creatures, such as orcs, rather than sets that, although very child-oriented, that show humans fighting humans. I know LEGO never showed their Kingdoms sets in a violent nature, but there are probably lots of kids who are not afraid to decapitate their knights in battle. So it would be better if they weren't all humans being killed, but rather creatures that are completely imaginary. Then again, I may be completely wrong.

My thoughts exactly! I really hope we see that elven blade used more as well. It looks really awesome! Hopefully they'll make Legolas's knives in the future too!

While on the LEGO site, I noticed a new game they put on the site. On the game, there is a little gallery of some cool scenes, but there was one in particular that took me by surprise. http://thelordoftherings.us.lego.com/en-us/Games/TheSiegeofHelmsDeep.aspx This sure looks like Elrond from the Battle of Dagorlad!

Do you mean a video featuring scenes from The Two Towers? Could you provide a link?

Where are the character doors made of gold bricks located? I've found a few (Lois Lane, Batgirl, Aquaman), but I can't find the others. Are they on the sides of tall buildings? Or near the remote terminals?

Just rewatched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight to refresh my memory before The Dark Knight Rises comes out. They are truly amazing movies, and by far the best Batman films. Heath Ledger's Joker is probably the best part of all the films so far, an I don't say that just because it was his last complete film role. Just a truly outstanding performance. Can't wait to see how Christopher Nolan concludes his story.

That Uruk poly bag will make the price of the Uruk fig go way down on Bricklink. It will make it easier for people to collect armored Uuks soldiers without having to buy the actual poly bags.

So... Boromir? Also, it is cool that the designer who made these figs has commented here! Djordje, you did a fantastic job with these figures! Probably the best ever produced by LEGO. I do have one question: was it difficult to design the Gollum figure, since he isn't a classic LEGO minifig? I would imagine it would have been an interesting process deciding what sort of position to have the new mold in, so as to capture the character the best.

That minifig production video was really cool! All of those Uruks and goblins looked so awesome! Now I really want to collect a massive Uruk army!

Possibly an Arwen in her green Coronation dress from the end of ROTK. That would be a nice figure to have.

I would say that LEGO is in a current 'Golden Age' right now. Like many have said, I think it started in 2008-2009, with the introduction of The Clone Wars. Also, in 2008, LEGO got the Indy license, which was their first license other than Star Wars and Harry Potter. After that, LEGO has gotten licenses for numerous franchises, which has forced the creation of more inventive and unique pieces, which in turn forced LEGO to update their molds, which has allowed for the introduction of numerous new parts across all themes. In the end, it is the license boom of 2008-present that has made LEGO better than it has ever been before.

That news is a little upsetting, but no big deal. I was hoping they would make a few TDKR sets, thinking they could go back and make one set with a Heath Ledger Joker fig. I guess now that wish is completely out if the question.

I'm interested if these are the Jetski poly bag sets. I desperately want a black Batman with the new cowl, and I believe this is the only way. I have an extra exclusive Hulk poly bag, if you want to trade, but I'll also just pay you retail price+shipping. PM me if you want to talk details.

About Black Manta and some of the other characters, are they available on the Wii, and if yes, how do I get them?

I was just taking a look at a review of the Jetski set and saw the new cowl for Batman. I ordered the Funhouse a few days ago, and I'm curious if the same new cowl mold is used for all the new Batman figs, just the ones wearing black, or only the jetski one.

Yeah, I'll try that. Sometimes, though, you can be standing directly where the villain is and they don't show up. Also, is there a way of accessing the map without having to pause the game first?