Lordhelmet

Not doing any Gondor in the original wave of LOTR has got to be one the worst missed opportunities. I would love for them to do something (even small) where we could get Gondor Soldiers. I remember waiting for something Minis Tirith related during the first waves (I had even set aside a few hundred dollars to buy multiple sets) and hoping that in year three they would release something with Gondor. I bought a few Helm's deep sets when it launched and combined them into a bigger helms deep that kept the set's aesthetic and was planning on doing the same for Minis Tirith. Hopefully we get a small wave so Lego can take my money.

lets hope they take the extra time till release to come out with a better GWP this time

When do we think Barad Dur will release? I would guess it will be later in the year given we have not heard any further rumors on it (set number/price/piece count). Do you think it will be a summer/fall release?

two thoughts. 1) I think the adult fans argument does not really hold up well when we look at other IPs as an example for battle packs. I keep seeing this argument, well it's really only adult fans so it should just be 18+ sets. Star Wars battle packs is an example of how adult fans spend on lego. Look at the popularity of clone packs with the generation that grew up with the prequels. The 501st battle pack sold a lot (as do other clone sets). LOTR battle packs would sell well as the theme lends itself to Army building just like Star Wars does. (I know Star Wars sells better, not comparing that aspect, just the fact that battle packs would sell really well with 18+ crowds and children). There is also an absence of good sets under $30 for kids anyway, adding something that adults like to buy for their kids (or the crazy amount of birthday parties that they have to attend) would also line up with the theme, especially battle packs. I think the best approach for the theme is one big UCS style set, one or two dioramas, and 3-5 play sets (including one battle pack) each year. I think it is a bigger iP than Indiana Jones or Avatar but probably not as big as Harry Potter from a Lego Sales opportunity. (selfishly I would also like a CMF line which I think would sell well). 2) I think the Hobbit really tanked the LOTR theme back in the day. At first the LOTR theme was incredible, I bought every set (sometimes 2 or more). Then the Hobbit stuff started taking over and I bought all of the LOTR sets holding out for the theme to improve by releasing some Gondor or other good sets. I did not buy many Hobbit sets (bag end, and some smaller ones at the time). I think Lego looked at both themes as the same and discontinued based on the Hobbit sets poor performance. If they had continued rolling out good LOTR sets (or a true battle pack vs. the wall set) I think the theme would have continued on strong for a few years at least.

I would spend more on battle packs then I do on one large set (or at least comparable prices), assuming 4 orcs or Uruks in a battle pack I would want around 25 sets to get 100 of each. so right there is the $500 (per battle pack), plus all the other random ones I would buy if they had sales or promotions just to make the army even bigger, probably good for me that they don't make them but it is a missed opportunity for sure. (Same could be said about a polybag with an army builder character, or CMF with army builders sprinkled in)

I am hoping for the $400 version this year :) I wouldn't mind saving the extra hundred (especially if the piece count is 2K lower than Rivendell). Very excited this is coming out. Also hoping they have a better GWP this time around. I would like to see isildur (maybe as a GWP).

All I know is that I really hope LOTR continues in Lego. I am a bit worried about all of the leaks without any news on Barad Dur (or any future play sets). My biggest hope is that they pushed Barad Dur back to a summer release to include additional sets with the release, which is why we have not heard about it yet. If it get pushed out of next year completely it will definitely save me a bunch of money for other things other than Lego as I will probably only pick up a handful of Star Wars sets like the midi scale ships and dioramas. Here is to hoping we see Barad Dur and some Gondor soldiers next year.

So at this point we are hoping that 10332 Icons set is Barad Dur and it comes with a GWP. Or are we still expecting that they release a bigger line of LOTR late next year like in the fall/winter cycle of 2024/2025?

Agreed, would have been awesome to have something like that for Rivendell. They did it for the Eiffel Tower too (among a few other sets) so there was precedence for Icons sets. It would be pretty awesome if they did a small scene to add on to Barad Dur (if they do release it) as they missed the opportunity with Rivendell. Seeing the Harry Potter one is a perfect example too of what it could be.

To change topics from ROP , the gringots gift with purchase is a perfect example of what they should do for LOTR if they keep doing big sets. Something that attaches to the set and adds an extra mini figure. Perfect for a big LOTR set (for Barad Dur) a small rocky outcrop with Isildur would be pretty cool, or anything from that Battle would be cool as a GWP.

I did notice that the Lord of the Rings theme was listed as retired in the new update to the VIP (Insiders) program. I was adding my old sets to my account and noticed that the new sets were not under the theme despite being on the website. I am holding out hope that Brad Dur will happen (would love more) but am not too happy that there have not been any leaks of it considering how much we have heard about other themes.

I am hoping we can add our sets to the catalog without the scanning function. I threw away my old books years ago but want to capture my sets. Also, I believe the scannable code only goes back a few years that will get points (I think I heard 2019). Not 100% sure though. The make your own mini figure suggestion would be super pricy. Think of all the expensive parts/minifigs you would have to buy or go a custom route. Plus the CMF lines are super detailed with lots of extra detail and molds. I say keep the dream alive as a CMF line would give us awesome minifigs at a reasonable price (although if that did ever happen, which is a long shot, I would spend way too much on them).

What a great idea, and crazy opportunity (like the AT-AT with the snow trooper battle pack), but they may sell x5 what it took to fill an ATAT to everyone buying Barad Dur

So most likely, the best shot we have of getting another LOTR set is one large D2C set again, considering all of the 2024 leaks with no news of LOTR. Unless we are pleasantly surprised with a new leak of 3-5 sets (including 1 or 2 battle packs) and a CMF line :) for good measure.

What if we got the fellowship like this though - Merry in Rohan gear, Pippin in Gondor, Aragorn with crown/ end scene gear, Boromir in Gondor (from extended edition), Frodo and Sam in Mordor, and Gandalf the White (I know one was done before but they could improve on it). I got nothing for Legolas and Gimli though (maybe arm printing to up the game). Saruman with the multi colored cape, Gothmog for the orcs, Witch king, there are a lot of super detailed things we could get that are different enough, not to mention all the characters we don't have. (I agree Battle packs would be my top choice, but they would need other sets to go along with them. I would prefer to get all of these characters through sets, but would love the detail a CMF line would provide). I have made a habit of sending Lego feedback to do a LOTR CMF line whenever I am asked for it.

I agree, (on both) but specifically battle packs and LOTR would be a perfect match. There have been a lot of leaks lately and no LOTR. Hopefully we hear something soon given all the other product lines that have leaked over the past few days.

Agreed, I have been checking too much since the Star Wars stuff started coming out looking for news for 2024. Finger crossed for some actual sets and one battle pack or CMF line (icing on the cake).

How many sets of a CMF line would you buy? I would buy a minimum of four complete sets, probably would buy six or seven. This is assuming that it is all unique characters, if there is something to build an army with that number would go even higher. Same thing for battle packs, I would buy 10-20 each for Gondor, orcs, Rohan, Uruks. Would consider going higher depending on quality and content.

If we do not get any more LOTR sets (next year) I will buy a second Rivendell to keep in a box for replacement parts if ever needed. Would everyone be happy if we got a Indiana Jones style release (2 play sets and 1 diorama) next year or prefer one UCS style set? I would like both (and more than that) but if I had to choose it would be the three sets. What would everyone want if the playlets/diorama were at the same piece count and minifigure count (I am assuming they would cost more so lets stick to the piece count/minifigure count). For Reference the Piece count and Minifigure Counts are below. 1545 pieces / 4 minifigs (Diorama) 600 pieces / 4 minifigs (Play set) 387 pieces / 3 minifigs (Play set)

I share your opinion. Really good builds, (and creative), but I thought there were some incredible ones out there (like that one Treebeard diorama with the owl nose, ridiculously good). Congrats to those who won though. Who all is waiting for 2XVIP to buy a copy of Rivendell? Is there still a sizable group waiting? Hopefully we start getting some Leaks this summer/early fall about new Lord of the Rings sets coming out.

Agreed, want more. If they only make Rivendell and stop I will be picking up an extra copy before the end of next year just to hang onto. But still holding out hope that it sold well enough to warrant more sets (and ideally play/diorama sets).

All quiet here, hopefully we start to hear news in the next five months about new sets coming out next year (hopefully a real wave of sets in Winter).

Went online this morning (6am local) and Executor was sold out, I will try the store when it opens now but was planning on ordering online. (going for Fang Fighter/ Tie Interceptor and Executor) Seems like poor planning on Lego's part overall (saw the comments about the GWP running out above, and then a set running out within hours online with no back order option). Hopefully the stores are better off.

I like the May release sets, will be picking up the fang/tie and executor day one, and then wait for a sale for the diorama's (although I do think they look nice). I saw someone use the new Legolas legs with Leia from the new diorama which looked surprisingly good. Seeing the executor next to the UCS one makes me want the new one more (since I never got the UCS one). It looks really good, my only complaint is the back section does not look as accurate as it could. The way the angles and lines work looks more accurate on the UCS one, a little bit more squared off on the new one. I will likely try to mod it to look more accurate, or hopefully 2Bricks will do a mod (typically has awesome mods).

I think the new prints look more accurate, the old prints look great but are more cartoonish (so it depends on which loom you are going for or prefer). I changed Sam’s hair on the new one, but would say that the new ones look better than the old ones overall (hobbits). Face prints for merry and pippen are the only thing I would probably say would be better using the old ones. To me they are both great sets so it really comes down to your preferences for the looks. Now elves on the other hand, I did change Legolas hair and face print, probably would have changed Arwen too if it were cheaper (don’t want to mix my parts between characters), and Elrond was also a consideration.