Lynx

I wish the eagle would have come in the size photoshopped by Deatleech, but I still like it. The tower interior and exterior are stunning enough for me to want this set. It's a great display piece, although the ent will only find itself hidden in a box. It reminds me of those LEGO actionfigures which I equally dislike. I'm just not sure if I want to buy this set from the LEGO shop Australia for 280-350 AUD plus 45 AUD for shipping and handling. Simply not worth it, I guess.

While the eagles cannot pick up minifigures, they CAN grab wargs by the studs on the wargs' backs. Minifigures can still "ride" on the eagles' back.

Wizard Duel is clearly my favourite of the 12 $ sets so far. The Black Gate looks alright in itself, but I will mainly buy this for the minifigs and the eagle. Elrond's Council is beautiful as a display set and the two elves are fantastic! I still have zero interest in the corsair ship which will be the first Middle Earth set I won't buy. Now I'm waiting for Orthanc and the retail prices in Australia. Based on previous sets, I expect a doubling in price for all of them.

I'd really like to see a LEGO Glorfindel as he appears in the video game. Since that seems unlikely in the near future, I'd like to build one myself. For those of you who know the game, can you point me towards a torso that looks suitable (silver with light blue, elvish design if possible)? Also, has LEGO produces light blue capes?

Thanks for posting the picture! I am surprised about the new hair pieces for Elrond and Arwen! The Council of Elrond suddenly became a must-have. The two white wizards, the Mouth of Sauron and Gondorian Aragorn all look superb! Minor disappointment: Aragorn's print in the Corsair Ship and Gimli with helmet in the Council of Elrond (didn't wear a helmet when trying to smash the ring). Major disappointment: three bald orcs. Even without seeing final pictures of the set, I'm looking forward to add three of the sets to my collection. My interest in the ship is zero. Its sole appeal stems from the King of the dead and his soldiers, but I don't consider them must-haves.

And by no means did I mean to imply that you are usually wrong. It is for the very reason of your right picks that I had my hopes up for Orcrist in the first place. :) The video game seems a great source to get ideas for future LEGO sets and pieces, but one thing to keep in mind is that the whole Rohan army has custom Rohan swords in the game which (unfortunately) did not make it into plastic form. Thanks for posting these! Based on the presence of actual sets (e.g. Weathertop, Helm's Deep) in the same bonus level and the prelim pictures, I would be shocked if these were NOT the final models. Elrond's Council even seems to feature the stud-less piece near the chairs from which you will be able to launch Gimli through the air. I like the colours on this set since it's always nice to add some variety to the predominantly grey sets in Middle Earth line. Arwen differs slightly from the video game in that she wears a dress. I've never had a minifig with a dress. Can anybody tell me if the dress part is a simple sloped brick? Does it come off very easily or are its studs elongated similar to the legs of minifigs? Regarding the Black Gate, I am happy we get the Mouth of Sauron and thrilled to have a molded eagle in the set. Based on the prelim, it will be the same as in the video game. Different versions of Aragorn and Gandalf further add to the minifig appeal of this set. As others have said, it is disappointing not to get regular foot soldiers, however. A battlepack with one soldier of Gondor, one Rohan soldier and two Mordor Orcs seems like a perfect addition to this set (although I'm not sure about a meaningful piece to build alongside the minifigs). The set itself looks alright. It captures the jagged look of the gate and the tower, can be opened, display figs on its walkways and allows customisation for those wanting a larger gate with both towers. Nice! Fantastic! That would be a beautiful addition to the upcoming Council of Elrond set.

I hope you're correct, but I remember your certainty regarding a new mold for Orcrist - which never happened.

The pine cones Gandalf hurled at the wargs were lit with magical, blue flames in the book. I can only assume that TLG had to rely on information based on the novel when creating the set.

Disappointed not to have Orthanc, but the small wave has three instant buys for me: Wizards, Black Gate and Rivendell. The pirate ship is the first set in the Middle Earth line I have zero interest in. Not even the minifigs are interesting enough to purchase this at any time - even at a discounted price.

1. Upload your picture onto flickr.com or a similar site. 2. Copy the URL from that picture (i.e. on flickr, right click, "copy image URL"). 3. When posting on eurobricks, click the "image" symbol (looks like a tree on blue background) and paste the image URL from flickr into it. 4. Done. :)

I'd love to see one Rohan Soldier, one Gondor Soldier, the Mouth of Sauron (no other way to get it) and three Mordor Orcs in the Black Gate battle. A battlepack is all I need out of this set. Does anybody know WHEN the new sets will be released? Spring or summer?

Jackson promised talking animals, so I'm still hoping for an extended eagles scene with the extended edition on DVD.

That bunny sled HAS to be made into LEGO. I'd prefer, however, to get Rhosgobel (Radagast's home) instead of the orcs.

SPOILER if you haven't watched the movie, yet!!!! I think you are confusing Yazneg with Azog, the pale orc. Yazneg was leading the initial pursuit of the dwarves when they were distracted by Radagast. Yazneg was killed by Azog on Weathertop. I agree that this set is a very poor representation of the scene. While I can forgive the wrong choice of the orc leader and the blue flames (presumably this was based on the info available to TLC at the time of design and the book, respectively), the tree looks nothing like it does in the movie or the book. I'd have preferred three slender trees with a collapsable play function to the turnable pile of brown bricks present in the set.

I agree about Dwalin looking too short. He is nearly the same height as Radagast and a huge dwarf. Not sure about the need for longer legs for his LEGO version, though. I think a bald cap as head piece would fix it. He simply appears too tiny compared to other dwarves due to the various hair pieces of Balin, Bifur, Gloin, Oin and co.

I received the Goblin King Battle yesterday. It's a great set, but I miss some goblins for display purposes. Having 13 dwarves against 4 goblins looks "slightly" different from the movie frenzy in Goblin Town. I'd love to see a battle pack with e.g. four goblin soldiers and a bridge section to expand 79010 into the twisted accumulation of board-ways seen in the movie. In the meantime, I have to look for alternative display options. Here, the goblins greatly underestimated the lone hobbit intruding their town...

Thank you.

What is a UCS?

Hmm... I figured it was the most appropriate since this thread appeared to be the most generic Star Wars topic and I'd find the most knowledgable people regarding the product line in this forum. Thanks for your answer!

Hey guys, I'm looking for a grey hood (for a Hobbit minifigure). Can anybody please tell me whether this item is available and if so, what set/ minifigure it comes with?

Just wanted to share what Thorin looks like with the short cape that came with Elrond. To me, this is as big of an improvement as equipping Aragorn with a cape. Also: a tiny modification of An unexpected Gathering. I love this set but thought the tree looked mediocre with its three pieces of foliage. I experimented by adding some branches but wanted to keep the original flavour of it. So here's what it looks like with the addition of some foliage:

Thanks for the photos. I cannot see the review text, however (only the final notes and some text above pictures). I'd like to know what you think could be improved about the design. To me, this is by far this best set of the Middle Earth line. Bag End is instantly recognisable. The "displayability" is off the charts. The parts are fantastic for outdoor MOCs. The build evokes a nostalgic feeling with its classic big bricks whilst being very interesting with some techniques (window!). The minifigures are fantastic in selection and execution. The stickers are annoying, but the amount is just acceptable in my opinion. The price is high, but there is a ton of large pieces. Personally, I bought the set on holidays in Germany where LEGO is acceptably priced (roughly 60-70% of Aussie prices, less with amazon.de and it's 20% discount) and so I was very happy with the pricing.

How do you get the 20% off? Does it come up at the checkout? I couldn't find any note on the promotion.

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Excellent choices. I'd like to include a representative of Rohan (either King Theoden or Eomer) which would have to come at the expense of one of Denethor's sons or Elrond.