Deathleech

Ahh, so he did! I didn't even notice those subtle changes. Honestly though, it's not the look that bugs me so much as the functionality. For instance the driver having to sit off center (yet no room for a passenger?), the back not opening at all, etc. These are easy things to fix yourself albeit, but it just annoys me you even have to. The designers could of easily made some simply changes themselves to the design and fixed it. All well. Not a bad set overall, I still think it's ok, it's just not near as good as the other LotR sets imo... sorry for getting so off topic

Ehh, I can see that being true. Remember the Hobbit movie is coming out only a few weeks after the Lego Hobbit sets are released. It makes sense then that Lego would want to release as many Hobbit-themed sets as possible to ride the inevitable wave of hype that will be going on at the time. I am sure the 2013 waves will have a lot more LotR inspired sets, and might even have waves that have some sets from both the Hobbit and LotR mixed. There are just SOO many LotR sets they could make, they barely did any Return of the King sets save Shelob Attacks in the first wave so you know they have to have a ton more based on that film alone. I won't lie, I am a lil disappointed by this news, but I am sure more LotR sets will come in the future.

I just got 2 more Uruk-hai Army sets to bring my total to 11, and 2 Frodo polybags. I bought them from TRU, but used a $15 off $50 spent or more coupon and got free shipping so it came out to be around 15% below MSRP for everything. Not too bad...

Very nice! I really like the face built into the rock/cave...

I used the $15 off of $50 or more promo they were running last week to get it. I got 2 more Uruk-hai Army sets and 2 Frodo polybags for $60 before taxes. Shipping was free cause the order was over $50. I also got a wave 5 CMF. If I would have paid MSRP for all that it would of been 71 bucks plus taxes. Not an amazing deal, but not terrible either... about 15% off MSRP for it all.

Ehh, idk. In that interpretation you posted the designed went a little too far with the tan I think. Even his rocky mountains are mostly a tan color, wheras in almost every other pic I have seen they are gray. As for the ground, in most the shots I have seen it appears more of a gray, or dull green with a few tanish dirt spots: Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Those are all shots taken from the movie or used for the movie, not sculptures and interpretations from other people. I guess you could argue after the battle took place it might have been tan if all the grass got torn up from the 10,000 orcs marching over it

Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to build the ground out of tan and green/brown pieces instead of gray like featured in the movie?

Which is a huge shame too. Lego could sell their keychains like hotcakes if they had some attachment under the neck that held the figure to the chain and could be easily removed like the capes/arrow quivers, etc. by popping the head off. That way you could use the figure as a keychain OR a normal minifig.

Very nice MOC. I will say though, I was hoping you did something with the sub par wagon design that comes from the official set. Regardless it looks great overall.

So, is there any way to get the vastly superior Uruk-Hai w/ballista polybag, or is that a U.K. only exclusive through the newspaper or whatever it was? I really hope we see it here in the states...

That's what I thought of too when I first heard the name. Chimera, not Chima. A Greek mytho inspired theme would be really cool imo and something fairly different from their recent themes. I gotta say though, the chance that is it a typo is probably zilch to none

My thoughts exactly. Sure there are some nice pieces in this set like the sausage, pan, glasses, etc., but other than that it really doesn't have much going for it. For 8 more bucks and almost the same price per piece you could just spring for the Gandalf Arrives set and get the exact same Frodo, Gandalf who will be exclusive till Bag End is released, and you also get one of those cool new horses. If only we would of gotten the Uruk-hai with Ballista instead here in the states

Simply yet effect technique for the rocks! It looks like you just left some of them a little loose to achieve it?

Would be neat to see the real one, as well as a picture of both the real and rendered side by side!

Yup, looks almost identical really...

Well they do have the new Hobbit game coming out, so who knows...

Very nice! I agree, the gold effect with the tin foil turned out superb!

I completely agree. Get rid of the horse and add 1-2 (preferably 2 ) Oathbreakers and it would be perfect imo. As for you Witch King Demise set, I think it's a little bland and redundant since your Minas Tirth set already comes with a Witch King on Fel Beast. The only saving grace of it being the Eowyn and Merry minifigs, but both could easily be added to the Minas Tirith set. Conversely I would rather see you just add the Fel Beast to the Witch King Demise set and that way you can get rid of the Witch King and Fel Beast in the Minas Tirith set to keep the cost of that set lower since it's already getting pretty high (like I mentioned before). I mean there really isn't a lot going for the Witch King Demise set other than the minifigures. Sure the rotating platform is cool, but I think this set would do MUCH better as a 20 dollar set that includes everything you proposed, as well as the Fel Beast with it.

I don't see why not. The top could be the whole Denethor conflict and include Faramir, some Gondor Soldiers, Gandalf the White, Pippin, and of course Denethor. The bottom could be focused more on the actual siege of the city and have the Mordor Orcs, Gondor Soldiers, Eowyn, Merry, and Witch King. I could total see them doing something like this and having the top be a cheaper set and the bottom the big flagship set for that particular wave.

Why exactly do you want 18 Nazgul? It's not like there are ever more than 9 present at one time. You could just get 9 and then switch them between the horses and Fel Beast...? Lol? And ya, no other official sets containing Nazgul have been released besides the Attack on Weathertop set. Give it a few years and I am sure we will have at least a few more though. I am pretty sure at the very least Lego will eventually release a Witch King set on a Fel Beast.

NOTHING has been confirmed as far as I know, other than the Bag End set. Those small German toy shops posting sets with minifig and price expectations are NOT confirmation of anything yet.

People keep commenting there are too many minifigs, but I don't see it. Helm's Deep had 8 for $130 and the Death Star had 24 at $400, both right around 1 minifig per $16.50 spent on the sets. 14 figs at $250 seems pretty spot on.. maybe a little low if anything (1 per $17.85). As for the set itself, I think it looks fantastic! Keep in mind people, he was trying to build this as a realistic Lego set, not some dream MOC that uses 10,000 bricks and no normal child (or most adults for that matter) could ever afford. My only suggestions would be to include the tree at the top and some detailing on the walls. I know you can't really make the detail bricks in white like Lego used on Helm's Deep, but I think them spotted all over would really make this set looks all the more better. Maybe you could of just used some stickers? The solid white walls just look a little plain imo.. Also as a way to lower price, which I suggested awhile back, you could break Minas Tirith into an upper and lower half. It appears the upper part has a lot more pieces so maybe make that like 160 and the lower walls 90 bucks? I would also ditch the Fel Beast (since you already have it in the Osgiliath set) and the catapults/trebuchets and make those into battle packs/army builders. They would be PERFECT as such. Say a trebuchet with 4 Gondor Soldiers for $14.99? And a catapult with Mordor Orcs for 14.99 as well? That way you could get rid of 2 trebuchets and a catapult and Fel Beast which all take up a lot of pieces and bring the price down at LEAST 40-50 bucks.

Does anyone know if there will be a way to get the Uruk-Hai poly if you live outside the U.K.? Besides having someone in the U.K. pick one up for you and send it out obviously? Everyone there complains about the prices of Lego (and more specifically LotR Lego), but at least you guys get a useful poly and for super cheap unlike us in the U.S.! (just kidding, I know it's no where near compensation but at least it's something right?) As for Gandalf the White being the exclusive bonus or not, I find it a little hard to believe. He is just such a main part of the films and appears in 2 out of the 3 while Gandalf the Gray is only in the first one. I would think the exclusive would be some kind of lesser seen figure or costume. For example the coronation Aragorn as previously mentioned. Lastly I have mixed feelings about there being three Hobbit films. It does seem weird one book is being made into three films, especially when three films were made of three seperate books for LotR. Even if the Hobbit does have the appendixes and such it still just seems a bit strange. On the other hand though, there was a TON of extended footage for the LotR films so I am guessing there won't be anywhere near as much for the Hobbit. It kind of makes me wish there would of been 6 LotR films... all well.

How do you have Guards of Minas Tirith and Dwarf Warriors when neither have been officially released yet?

Probably. I like it most when they have army builders that only contain one type of troop as well. That way if you want say 20 Rohan Soldiers and 40 Mordor Orcs you can buy 5 Rohan army builder packs and 10 Mordor Orc ones and get your desired number. If they have 2 good, 2 bad guys then you are stuck with an even amount unless you go and eBay or Bricklink all the extras off and that can be a bit of pain.