Deathleech

I'm really hoping the rep I talked to was just unaware they will be getting more Elrond figures in for when the console and PC versions go out on the 13th. If not that's ridiculous, only the people who ordered portable versions of the game got the advertised minifigure. Even worse is people who ordered it way before them, but ordered it for a console or PC, are getting screwed. The severe lack of supply is bad enough, but it's even worse for people who ordered in months in advance and won't get a minifig just because they used them all up fulfilling the DS and Vita pre-orders that came out first.

Hmm, I bought my initial 5 sets when the line was first available for order mid-May. They all had the brown belt/sashes. I picked up several more from June-August, totaling about 6 total, all with the brown. In August I placed anorder through TRU when they had their buy two get one free sale going on and got 4 more. Every one of these had the brown sashes. It was only my last order of 6 in late October that I finally got my first red sash/belts.

That reminds me.. so now we are going to have at least three Historic themed sets next year with the LotR/Hobbit, the Lone Ranger, and now these new (old?) castle sets? Should be an interesting year to say the least They may be rarer and more desirable, but they also cost more money to design and develop so it could even out in the end. Less sales, but less money to create, you know? And who knows, maybe they would only do them in limited availability runs? They could straight up use the same vintage boxes, pieces, etc. and not change ANYTHING, which would just require them to print the boxes, instructions, and any pieces no longer in production again. If they went the updated classics route, that changes everything as these would require quite a bit of new development. I dunno what they will do for sure, I am just pointing out how a classics theme could be profitable.

Interesting. I wonder what sets they will choose to re-release if they are doing this?

That, or maybe LotR didn't do as good as Lego hoped and they have decided to offer scaled back limited waves that only include a few sets and have the Castle theme go along side it. Doesn't anyone else find it odd the LotR theme only had 4 sets listed, one of which is probably a Hobbit themed set yet the Castle theme has at least 5 and is coming out 2 months later?

Trust me, I have argued plenty of times that I think Lego should cater more towards adults with certain themes. For instance, look at my polybag thread where I point out how silly I thought it was for them to make a Frodo polybag when, for 8 dollars more, you can get the SAME clothed minifig, Gandlaf, and a new posable horse in the Gandalf Arrives set. It was such a missed opportunity in my mind. Lego could of made that polybag a Nazgul, elf, goblin, etc... something you would buy multiples of. Yet a number of people argued that Lego did it for young kids so they have a main character in a set that is strictly an impulse buy for them or their parents. Apparently AFOLs only make up 5% of total Lego sales. I totally agree here. I HATED both the design aspects in Gandalf Arrives and it totally perplexed me why Lego did them. Look at any of the Gandalf Arrives reviews on these forums and you will see me complaining high and low. Both are simple fixes yet it just seemed lazy on Lego's part not to fix them. This seems to be a growing trend in Lego though, not specific to the LotR theme (though maybe it gets more criticism because people have such high expectations for the line, or due to them being such huge fans)? I've brought it up in other threads, but look at the Arkham Asylum. For 160 bucks you get ONE wall of the asylum, a gate, and an ambulance. Likewise in the Daily Bugel set you only really get the front of the building and a small copter. Even in non-licensed themes like City they are doing it more and more, like the Fire Emergency set that gives you one bare bones front of a building, a dinky fire truck, and 3 minifigures. I could go on and on but you get the point. Now, I will say some sets seem to get it worse than others. But also if you look at Helm's Deep compared to say King's Castle you will notice an unmatched level of detail. Sure King's Castle is "complete", but even still it doesn't look anywhere near as nice as Helm's Deep in my eyes. Helm's Deep, and really all the LotR sets, seem to sacrific quanitiy for quality. The minifigures are hands down some of the most detailed, beautiful minifigs I have ever seen. Also I agree with Miles, and have brought that point up numerous times myself. The LotR line, and especially the Hobbit don't really lend themselves to making "easy" sets. It's super easy for Lego to copy an X-Wing fighter and make it a $50 set. How do you take a whole forest such as Mirkwood though, which literally coveres hundreds and hundreds of acres and make it into a set? Or Goblin Town/Mines of Moria which coveres dozens of tunnels and do the set(s) justice? Lego basically has three options, they make the set super tiny and not to scale with the minifigs (aka Weathertop), they only do part of the set and do it to scale (Mines of Moria), or they do a much fuller set but have a much higher price point (Helm's Deep). Each set has a certain price point and piece count so there is only so much that can be done. It's like a number of people don't understand that though and expect more. How does Lego increase a set size to make it more complete without raising the price, which people would then complain the sets cost too much? Or without shrinking the scale of everything, then people would complain the scales rediculously off? And yet they will complain about this but at the same time they are fine getting a Frodo polybag when we already have a cheap way to get Frodo (actually 2 cheap-ish ways!). Like I said, I think the multiple add on sets/battle packs is the best choice for Lego to go, but I am sure they have their reasons for not doing that as well. Maybe their tests have shown people are less likely to buy the individual sets because they feel pressured into buying all of them to have have a "complete" model then? Who knows, I am sure Lego has their reasons despite them not seeming to make any sense to us...

Interesting that they list 5 Castle themed sets and only 4 LotR ones.. and the LotR seem mixed with Hobbit as well...

Ahh right, I should of specified I was thinking of them as different factions similar to Gondor/Rohan...

Well, as of right now there is only one elf out (two if you count Elrond) and zero Gondorians. Three Rohirrim is a lot compared to those numbers! Granted I am sure in future waves we will see more Rohan soldiers, with different molds and designs, it's just hard for Lego to cram so much stuff into one wave right now. Especially when they have at least nine minifigure slots being taken up by the Fellowship.

Hmm, that's totally different then. I am sure you will get the minifigure there since you are paying extra for the special edition and Elrond is part of that premium paid. Here we aren't paying anything extra, it's just a free bonus for pre-ordering the game. Hence why there is no guarantee you will get the minifigure and it's a first come, first serve basis. We didn't pay anything for the figure so they aren't required to give us one.

The Mines of Moria set as is only has two walls, one with doors, and then the tomb and well. You are asking for two more walls and at least part of a roof and base. I don't think Lego could make what you are asking for with a mere 200 more pieces. At least not without scaling down the proportions a ton, which would be hard considering the Cave Troll barely fits in the scene as is. If the Mines of Moria set was done like the Attack on Weathertop one, the troll wouldn't even fit inside and none of the other included minifigs would have room to move around when in it! You reference the Haunted Mansion but that is a $180 set, more than double what Mines of Moria cost. MMV is 20 bucks more and more importantly an amazing deal we will probably never see again. It is regarded by many as one of the best sets ever, and rightfully so with a price per piece of only 6 cents (less than HALF what most sets are today, especially licensed ones)! I'm not sure why you brought up the Gringott sets, because unless I am thinking of a different one, it is really similar to Mines of Moria. It has several "disconnected" pieces and the only thing the bank part has is a roof and floor (though no walls, just pillars which make it look very bare bones). But surely you see the problem here. These sets are all decent deals for licensed themes being around 12 cents per piece. You basically want to add $20-30 to every set to make it feel more complete. That means Helm's Deep is now $160, Mines of Moria $100, Weathertop $80, Shelob $40, and Gandalf Arrives $30. How many 8-14 year olds (the target audience) do you know with 400 bucks laying around to buy the entire wave, let alone $30 for a single set? I'm sure you wouldn't raise the piece count/price of every set that much, but you get the idea. Maybe I just have low expectations or something, but these sets are pretty much exactly what I expected. They still give a good sense of the scene they are trying to portray, are priced reasonably, and have a great assortment of minifigures. Sure some may not feel complete, but they offer tons of play features for kids which I am sure they appreciate a lot more than an extra wall or two. It seems most people complaining about these sets are looking at them as UCS sets and not the basic line meant for kids. Plus, the great thing about Lego is it's a building/construction toy. Don't like that the Mines of Moria set only has two walls and doesn't feel complete? Go MOD it then! Eurolock did a FANTASTIC job of MODing the existing Helm's Deep set to make it look more movie accurate (the walls are still a little short but other than that it's pretty much perfect). These aren't action figure sets where once you get the set molded in plastic there is no way to change it. MODing a set is super easy for people who want bigger, more costly sets, just go buy the extra parts you need on Bricklink or through PAB. Sure it may not be as convenient as having the set already made for you, but it's definitely an option and the vein of Lego building sets. It also is a better option than just straight up increasing set sizes and prices so they are no longer in reach of children. At least you have the option to spend more and add on to the set, small kids don't have the option to spend more money all the time for bigger sets. It may not be as good as official sets but it's the next best thing. I completely agree again, and I think this is the best route for Lego to go as I have stated numerous times. Like you, I mentioned Lego doing a Moria Orc battle pack a few months ago that had a couple minifigures and then a colum, some stairs, and/or a bridge to add to the existing Mines of Moria set. I think Lego should go this route as much as humanly possible. Make a Moria Orc battle pack, Mines or Moria set, and then a Balrog set and make them all lock together to create a truly impressive Mines of Moria scene. This way people can still get only the sets/minifigures they want, but AFOLs can spend as much money as they want and still get official sets, or multiples, to further increase the scale of the diorama. I think they should even go one step further and like with their creator sets, make say a Minas Tirith wall set that includes 4 Mordor Orcs, 2 Gondor soldiers and then instructions to build 2 different wall designs. They could do the same for a numbers of add on sets like an Ent battle pack with 2 different looking Ent builds. The possibilities are endless. It's exactly like Star Wars where they own the construction/building license but not the action figure one. I know because I had to get a replacement part to one of my sets that had a damaged part and they said they can't sell the individual figures due to their licensing terms and needed confirmation I really bought the set.

Please let us know what you hear back, I am interested to know if this is just a problem with GameStop here in the U.S. or it's a larger supply issue... Sorry, I thought it was implied. GameStop is pretty horrible and honestly I would never buy anything from them if not for them getting all the good pre-order exclusives and bonuses. It's about the only reason to shop there. I ordered mine a little over a month ago. Apparently there is no warning about not getting the minifigure. The only way I learned about the issue was through this thread where people were receiving their DS version of the game but without the minifigure (and without any warning). If you have in store pick up there is a chance you could still get the figure in stores, as it seems some still have them. If you ordered it online and shipped directly to your home the chances are pretty slim since their warehouse that sends out the minifigures with orders is totally depleted (unless the rep was mistaken and they will get a new shipment in before the games go out on Nov 13...). Please let us know if you get it or not, like I said before I am interested in hearing how other stores did with this, if it was a GameStop only issue or a larger supply issue from Lego.

Ya, the more I started thinking about it the more I started to doubt that list as well. I mean I guess it's possible, it just seems like a really weird combination of sets (like the rumored sets before having odd minifig assortments and price points for what they were). Why would Lego release an eagle nest set in June when supposedly the first movie ends right as the eagles are picking up all the dwarves and Gandalf/Bilbo? Sure the scene might end at the nests... but still, why wouldn't Lego release the set when the second Hobbit film is being released and excitement for the theme is at it's height? It's not like it would be hard by any means to fill a second LotR wave with just LotR themed sets. As for the Corsair ship, it just seems totally off. It might be a decent way to include the undead Oathbreakers, but even then it's in the films so little (even in the extended editions) that it seems highly unlikely. Especially when other sets could be done like the Ents or something Minas Tirith/Osgiliath related that take up huge portions of the films and are super iconic. With the first two LotR/Hobbit waves Lego pretty much stuck to iconic scenes we would expect to see. We didn't get a Prancing Pony or Watcher in the Water set because those scenes aren't thought of by most to be as iconic as others. The same with the Hobbit sets, we pretty much got one set per chapter depicting an iconic scene minus the Trollshaw (which is to be expected with limited set spots to fill and just getting a troll in the first LotR wave). We didn't get a set with the mountain giants hurling rocks, even though it's mentioned, because it's not as big of a scene (at least in the book). The list almost seems like it's from the June 2013 LotR wave AND the December 2013 Hobbit wave. It also doesn't seem complete by any means with only four sets listed.

Just to clarify this is in the U.S. where the minifigure was only available at GameStop :(

I plan on just waiting till the game goes down to around 10 bucks and then picking it up. That way I will have ended up spending about the same as I would of for the pre-order and still got the game and Elrond minifig.

You could of bought the DS, Vita, or PC versions for $30 so it's not really cheaper... I ended up getting mine off eBay for $25. Not bad considering the lowest buy out price is around $38 now. If the Gamestop guy was right and they have no more minifigs that price is only going to sky rocket next week when everyone who pre-ordered gets their game and finds out they won't be getting the Elron minifigure. It's really a crappy situation all around. How there weren't enough Elrond minifigs to even fill all the DS/Vita pre-orders, let alone the console and PC versions is beyond me.

Hmm, that's not very much info to go on, but at least it's something! So it looks like we will be getting a cheap Ringwraith and Frodo set around the $9.99-12.99 price point? And the pirate ship has to be the corsairs considering there are no pirate ships whatsoever mentioned in The Hobbit, and the ship the elves take in LotR aren't pirate ships at all. I am guessing the Eagle Nest set is based on the Hobbit and depicts the scene after the eagles rescue the dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo from the Wargs and goblins. Honestly these sets seem a bit surprising, and a little disappointing based on their names/description. The corsairs are seen a total of 5-10 minutes throughout the entire LotR film trilogy which the sets are based on. I wonder what the rest of the sets will be.. hopefully there is still a Minas Tirith, Balrog, and Ent set to be had as those would be my top three most wanted right now.

I know a lot of people were looking forward to the Elrond minifigure, but it appears it no longer will be available and all of them they had in stock were sent out with the Nintendo DS/Ps Vita pre-orders that shipped Oct 30. Here are the e-mails I received from Gamestop when I inquired about the minifigure: Unless this employee was horribly misinformed and they will be getting in another shipment, it seems they have no more Elrond minifigures to send out when the console and PC versions of the game ship next week. I mentioned this possible dilemma in the Elrond Designer video thread because I first noticed people claiming they were not recieving the minifigure with their DS/Vita pre-orders on another forum. If this info is right, this seems incredibly sloppy to me. People who ordered the PC version and consol version of the game didn't even have a shot at the minifigure. Thoughts?

I know a number of people feel the same way you do in that they are unhappy with the sets because they don't feel "complete". Out of curiosity, what would you (or anyone else with this same issue over the new sets) realistically suggest Lego do to fix it? Obviously they can't make every set $400 and they can't pack 2000 pieces into a $30 set. I know it's been mentioned adding a base plate to give the set pieces something to connect them all together. That's a simple enough fix anyone can do on their own if they so wish and keeps the set $5-15 cheaper for those who don't want to. What else could they do to make the sets feel "whole" though? Weathertop was actually one of my least favorite sets from the first wave, only being trumped by Gandalf Arrives. Sure the set looks "complete", but it's also scaled down a ridiculous amount. Meanwhile Mines of Moria may be missing a wall or two, but at least everything is done to scale with the minifigures. Keep in mind these sets are made for kids so not everything is created to look fantastic displayed sitting on a shelf. They have to have play features and such (hence the trap door and flick fire missiles in Weathertop which weren't in the movie). The great part about Lego is it's super easy to fix a set if you don't like the way it looks by MODing it and adding your own base plate or adding an additional wall or two. This I will wholeheartedly agree with you on. I think the Hobbit line, and especially the LotR one SCREAMS for battle packs to be made. The movies have so many grand battles taking place with such diverse armies it's not even funny. They could do a minimum of 10 different battle packs and STILL have many more they could do that are completely different from any of the others. Gondor soldiers, Rohirrim, Haradrim, Wild Men, Easternlings, Rangers, Wood Elves, Moria Orcs, Elves, Mordor Orcs, Corsairs... the list goes on. This isn't even including sets that would be similar like normal Gondor soldiers and Fountain Guards. They could also make some amazing creature packs as well with Oliphants, Cave Trolls, Eagles, Wargs, etc. I don't think LotR and the Hobbit are especially well suited to the play set aspect because so many locations take place outside or in huge settings that are hard to recreate with limited pieces and budgets. The battle pack/army builders though, are where I feel LotR could really excel.

I am sure we will get more Rohan soldiers and more variations. I just don't think they will be in the next LotR wave. Not when we already had two sets dedicated to Rohan in the first wave and zero to Gondor. I am sure in the third and fourth LotR waves they will come back and start doing more similar sets to ones already done, but for right now it seems they want to get all the big, iconic stand alone scenes done first with only a tie in or two with a smaller set per wave.

The TRU exclusive is the Barrel Escape set.

That's what got me out of my Dark Ages, the announcement of the LotR Lego line. If not for it, I probably wouldn't be buying any Lego sets right now, and in fact the LotR sets are the ONLY ones I am currently buying (though I am interested in a few other themes: Chima, Galaxy Defenders, and Batman to name a few... still have yet to take the plunge with Batman though)

Yes, the floor looks amazing! The whole room looks great too! I take it you got the idea for the flooring from other recent MOCs where they put the sloped pieces on their sides? I really like the technique and it makes for some terrific designs.

I will say, the CMF Elf probably has the coolest looking outfit and weapons. I think Thandruil could give him a run for his money though base on the pictures of him from the movie. I also think Elrond is kind of spiffy. The poll was just added since the OP didn't have enough posts to make one himself.

Supposedly people who ordered the portal version of the game (DS, Vita, etc.), have already got their versions since it's released stayed the same 10/30. However a number of them are complaining they did not get an Elrond figure despite pre-ordering the game when it was still advertised and when they called Gamestop about it they were told Gamestop had run out of minifigures. I am now wondering if the game delay really was due to Lego needing more time to meet the supply of the minifigure, or it was game related. I am going to contact Gamestop today to find out if they will have the minifigures when I receive my PC copies and if not, I will be cancelling my orders and making a very nasty call to Gamestop.