SirBlake

This is amazing! I can honestly say this is one of my top 5 favorite MOCs ever. Superb work, sir.

This is way cool. It looks great on that large expanse of green baseplate.

This is awesome. I love how you can see the roots of actual LEGO sets under the nice custom touches that you're bringing to it.

Fair point. Still, though I never plan on selling her, it's a little weird to see the forest woman there. On the other hand, I'm very glad to preserve the collectibility of the green ninja.

This is really cool! Wish I had the 1:1 scale versions of that stuff in my garage. Nice work.

That's actually what made me think that it would be a replacement. If it were radically different, I'd be inclined to think it'd just be a new sword, but since it's adding finer details to the old proportions, it seems more likely that it's a replacement. That's just an assumption of course.

That's what I was thinking too. I can see lots of opportunity for that with Gondor soldiers. Strange though, that something like replacing the classic sword would be included as an afterthought running change in an exclusive set. I don't know if this means anything at all, but aren't the Chess Sets made in China?

That's spectacular! Cool idea and great execution.

Thaaaaat's awesome! Did not expect to see the kings mountain fortress mixed in there, but it's a perfect fit. Thanks for posting those.

YES! I say it every time you add one of these, but I love this series so much. The depth and consideration you bring to it just adds to the final product. Any chance we'll get a shot of this one connected to the other pieces of your growing town?

Just 10? I think that's some pretty impressive work for that age.

Very nice! I dig the varied use of bricks with the log and round pieces. Also digging the signs. The only criticism I have is that I'd like to see a bit more color. Specifically some difference between the ground and building walls. Still, nicely done.

Interesting thoughts on the separate identities between the two. I would argue that those lines are very blurred on a consumer level, but the point is well received.

2 cars? That's awesome. Can't wait to see pics. Looking forward to that white sports car especially.

That's a fair point, but I think that 1) the lines are inexorably linked, and function as one license in the same way that Star Wars Clone Wars and original trilogy Star Wars does. Same overall property where one aspect of it is new, the other is well established. 2) the staggered release schedules that we've all been talking about (summer = LotR, Winter = Hobbit) just makes too much sense. At least until the summer of 2014 when we'll get the third Hobbit Movie. That leaves us with another summer to finish off LotR with things like Gondor and Orthanc. At least, we hope. I'm not saying all of this to be argumentative or doubt this source. It just simply doesn't make sense. That said, I come from a world of Hasbro Star Wars fandom, so I know exactly what it is for a toy company to do incredibly stupid things that don't make sense. lol Agreed.

Alrighty, further refinements and a new yellow sedan. The Roadster: Moved the cowl up a bit, monkeyed with the grille area and narrowed the rear bumper. High Boy: Moved the front wheels forward, changed the front bumper and switched the door handles to revolvers. Hot Rock Pick Up: Added a cowl area between the engine and cab. Now on to the Sedan: This one is chopped and channeled, and unlike the others, is sporting a flathead 4 cylinder engine. At this point, I'm all out of wheels/tires and steering wheels, so this'll probably be it unless I can score some more parts. I'm really happy with how these have come together, and I'll probably keep messing with them. I've hit the 4 major body styles, so unless I start making different versions of coupes, sedans, roadsters and pick ups, this is a nice stopping point for now.

I doubt that seriously. The game isn't out yet and they haven't gotten a chance to realize the benefit of association with the Hobbit movies. See how well they're selling after the first film is released. Also, Shelob is a RotK set.

Did some more playing around today. Fine-tuned all three of these hot rods further and built a chopped and channeled yellow sedan. I'll take pics and post tomorrow. That is totally rad! Love the detail on that little engine. Thanks!

Thanks! I'm having tons of fun working on these. I think a sedan is going to have to be next, though I have to go through the parts I have and see what I have to work with. I'd like the next one to be blue or yellow. We'll see what I've got. Black or grey is certainly easier, but I'm liking the color.

Thanks again for the feedback, y'all. (and wow to drdesignz yellow hot rod. I'm going to have to spend some time looking at that one. I've taken your suggestions and made some improvements to the white roadster, and added a red high boy. Roadster. I think it's looking much better with the shorter windshield, I just wish the window panes were clear and not smoked, but it's what I've got and it is an improvement. I also smoothed out the surfaces and curve at the back end, thanks to the new bricks I acquired this week, and moved the rear wheels out so that it doesn't have the weird recessed fender thing going on. Lastly, I added a cowl area to the body right behind the engine, more in keeping with it's Model A/32 Ford looks. Now to the high boy. The roadster is build like it's channeled over it's frame rails. This one is sitting right on top of them, as it would be if you just removed the fenders. Frames are often drilled with holes, so I thought the technic hole-bricks worked nicely here. Body-wise, this one is more like a turtle-back Model T with it's lower rear deck. I added the opening doors here. I wish the door handles didn't stick out so much, but this is the best solution I could think of at the time. The engine is styled after a Buick Nailhead V8 with it's straight-up valve covers, and this one has a roots-type supercharger and carb with a circular air filter sitting on top. I'm really having fun with these. What do y'all think of the latest?

Thanks for the feedback, y'all! Doors are a great idea, I'll have to look into that. some of those small hinge plates would be nice for that. I scored some garage sale gold this weekend, and I've been working on some refinements to the white roadster. I'll post pics soon.

These are great! I must say, I prefer the versions with the belt over the fold, so it doesn't imply a big belly.

Glad to see its nearly done! I've enjoyed your site updates and check it regularly. Any more castle plans?

Agreed. The motley variety is part of the appeal to me. I'd be disappointed if any Hobbit orcs/goblins looked like Moria orcs from LotR

This was my first go at building more than a 6 or 8 stud long minifig scale car. I picked up the Monster Fighters Hearse, and had so much fun with the parts, I had to go grab another set. I'm severely parts-limited as most all of the LEGO I have is tied up in castles (and therefore most of it is is grey, lol), so please forgive some clunkiness of design in a couple places. Apologies for sub-par iPhone photography. Let me know what y'all think.