Darth Caedus

It will probably just a code to unlock him early. Think about it - they would not waste the time modelling the Sauron character just to have it be an exclusive. Same principle with the real-world Elrond minifigure - it's the same hair as Legolas, just brown, and the weapon will surely be reused for Mirkwood elves.

I think it would have looked better with...

If it was 9.99 I'd have said average. 12.99 for what it is leaves it barely Below Average, only worth it for the horse and Gandalf. Gandalf doesn't even have Glamdring, and the Frodo minifigure is pathetically without accessories - sure, it's movie accurate, but it's a stupid scene to choose for a set then, especially because the cart is too small for them both to sit on it. We would have been better off with a 12.99 of Gandalf the Grey, Shire Frodo and Shire Sam with some Bag End accessories from the discussion of the One Ring - perhaps a table and hearth to fill out the Bag End set they were already planning for the Hobbit lineup.

Highly doubtful - the spiders and barrels are still highly memorable sequences from the book. I don't see how they could conjure up fully prepped LOTR filler sets with barely a couple months before preorders and launch, it doesn't seem like it's worth the extra work. Besides, Lego has often sold products that feature in unreleased movies - the ROTS wave came out a month before the actual movie. The specifics of the sets don't matter that much, it's Hobbit sets for a Hobbit movie, the tie-in rests generally. The LOTR sets are based on admittedly popular films that have been out of the public eye for almost a decade, and their release still got a buff from the general hype for Tolkien returning to theaters. Other speculation, my hopeful estimates for pricing of the sets: Riddles in the Dark - $12.99 Mirkwood Spiders - $29.99 Warg Attack - $39.99 Bag End - $59.99 (fact, at least if comic con tells true) Goblin King - $89.99 However, I could definitely see a 10 dollar price bump on Warg Attack and the Goblin King, which is unfortunate as the Warg set at $40 rests at the tipping point of still functioning as a potential armybuilder, any more and it would probably become more efficient to bricklink it.

Yeah, I don't think they'll adjust the sets being released based on cuts to the movie - they need a full wave and there is just no time to develop and release new filler sets. They'll still be bought in droves :)

In my experience, Lego store employees are great people who love the hobby, but 90% of the time they are less up to date then the obsessed devotees like us, who are checking the news every hour of every day and poring over every theory and leak.

I'm not worried about this. There are so many superhero movies coming out in the next couple years that Lego doesn't seem to be trying to bother tying in all their semiannual waves to each film. The Avengers was a big deal and was well timed for a wave of sets, but I don't think we will see the same rigid loyalty with Iron Man 3 (May 2013), Thor 2 (Nov 2013) Captain America (April 2014). Man of Steel is the only big DC production next year, true, but Avengers kept to a modest one-wave approach, and Man of Steel is several leagues below Avengers in hype and scale. So at worst, worry about losing a couple DC slots wasted on Man of Steel garbage (it's Zach Snyder, calling it now) when we could be harvesting some DC characters from its long and storied comic history. Additionally, the Hobbit films will most definitely be bigger than Man of Steel (both critically and financially, the only thing that compares to LOTR/Hobbit is The Dark Knight, and TDKR is getting a single set next year), so it would make no sense for Man of Steel to suddenly replace the Lord of the Rings license.

With a Warg mold being produced for The Hobbit Wave 1 (in all likelihood), this means we will likely see an Warg battle set from The Two Towers, priced at $20 or under. It would allow them to reuse the Horse 2.0, a Warg mold, as well as the Orc hair/ears and Rohan elements. Cheap, easy to produce and fills a gap as a solid armybuilder so they spend money on expensive new elements like a Fellbeast or somesuch. Do we NEED another battlepack with Rohan guys in it? Not as much as we need Gondorians, but if they released a $20 set with a couple wargs and a couple rider, or a $12.99 with one of each, I'd probably buy half a dozen.

There is a difference. With the films and the Lego line, which is based on them, there are several distinctions among the forces of evil. Seen on screen: Isengard Uruk-hai: Lurtz, Ugluk, Mauhur and the legions of the White Hand. Tall, strong, fierce and well armored in regulated, mass-produced gear. Immune to Sunlight damage. The most dangerous threat to the Fellowship outside of the Nazgul, Lurtz slays Boromir and almost defeats Aragorn in single combat. Mordor Orcs: Mostly seen as scouting parties sent out by Sauron at various points. Grishnakh is one such Mordor Orc. Not huge fans of the sun, but they seem to be able to function in it well enough. Weaker than Uruk-hai (as demonstrated when Ugluk decapitates the snivelling Snaga - Meat's Back On The Menu Boys.) Isengard Orcs: Not really distinguishable from Mordor Orcs, but they generally attend to different tasks - they demonstrate a skill with the industry taught by Saruman, and also are masters of Warg-riding (the film orc Sharku who is killed by Aragorn before the BoHD). Morannon Orcs: Somewhat distinguishable from the other Orcs in the films, these brutal Orcs emerge from Minas Morgul and the plains of Gorgoroth, and 'have no love of sunlight,' only functioning effectively after the shroud of Sauron reaches Minas Tirith. Strong in force and many in number, they easily overcome the Gondorians in a straight fight, but are butchered by the Rohan cavalry. Mordor Uruk-hai: Poorly equipped, ragtag knockoffs of Saruman's glorious horde, the Mordor Uruk-hai are uncommon and are seen only in Cirith Ungol, where they riot against the Morannon/Morgul Orcs. Only a few are seen surviving after the battle for Sam to finish off, demonstrating their only marginal superiority to Orcs (as opposed to Saruman's notably more effective Uruk-hai). Only the strongest and smartest, Shagrat, escapes with the Shiny Shirt to deliver to The Mouth Of Sauron. Moria Goblins: Stunted and weak, these foes are easily dispatched one-on-one by even the Hobbits. They have no skill with metalworking, as their armor is rusty and jagged, unlike Orcs or especially Uruk-hai. They seem to have no interest in venturing outside, for their large eyes and small statures are better suited to tunnel dwelling. However, they are extremely agile and are able to climb walls with ease (Unlike the Uruk-hai or Orcs, who require ladders or siege towers to scale walls. An army of 200,000 goblins would have been far more effective against Minas Tirith!). Whereas Uruk-hai stand up straight and run in daylight, and Orcs slouch but move quickly all the same, Goblins happily run on all fours. All in all, Tolkien never had an interest in drawing a distinction, but Jackson's films definitely improve on the generic mook-bad grunts of the trilogy by giving them diversity applicable to their habitat and purpose. Thus, in the Jacksonverse, Goblins are agile cavedwellers, Orcs are a rabble legion, and Uruk-hai are elite, standardized and regimented.

Well, he doesn't *need* to be, but he is present I hope we get an "invisi-Bilbo" for one of the sets, since he uses that power so often. It can be done!!!

Nope, I prefer to make one long visit to gut the initial stock of desirable characters, and then be essentially done for four months. Collecting all 16 holds no appeal to me, I purchased 16 total but half of them with Divers and ManBats. Granted, this is a series more suited to the random purchase since it has few utterly undesirable minifigures, but especially with something like Series 6 - buy every Roman/Spartan/etc. they have and peace out. I guess if you're just into the completionist collect-them-all, bit by bit is more fun. But for an army builder, it's a bulk buy.

Amazon.fr isn't 100% solid, but it's a strong likelihood that this is what we will get. Reactions: Only 5 sets at the outset, which is acceptable, and leaves the possibility of a Lego-store exclusive like Wave 1. Or we could just have 5 sets for Wave 2 - still reasonable. 79000 – Mystery of the Ring: I'm guessing 12.99, since Lego tends to restrict the <$10 to non-licenses (e.g. Monster Fighters swamp thing). Bilbo and Gollum only. 79001 – Fleeing From The Mirkwood Spiders: $20 to $30, hard to tell. I'm imagining Bilbo + a couple dwarves + 2 spiders and forest debris. 79002 – Attack of the Wargs: $40-$60, this sounds like the Weathertop slot. Hopefully it will be a better value. I think we'll get perhaps 2, if we're lucky, 3 wargs, Gandalf, Bilbo, a dwarf or two, a large tree, and quite possibly an Eagle. 79003 – Bag End: We know from CC that it will be $59.99, so there seems to be a 20 euro upscale on the French Amazon. 79010 – Cave of the Goblin King: $100 is a fair guess. I hope it's more impressive than Mines of Moria, and we can expect the Goblin King, probably 3 other Goblins, Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin and perhaps a dwarf. The previous lists have also included the Escape in Barrels set, which sounds like it could be the Lego exclusive if it does not appear in the French Amazon initial listing. I'd put money on that being the female LOTR lego that was promised - strong chance of Tauriel. The most notable theory we can put forth based on the existing information is that Bilbo has a strong chance of reaching oversaturation if not carefully placed throughout the lineup. LOTR Wave 1 was devilishly clever in spreading out the Fellowship over the whole line, giving us distinct versions of repeat heroes wherever possible, and not treading over the same ground very much (Frodo appearing only 3 times, and in two different outfits + cape variation). They still bungled a few things (Gimli's two appearances are acceptable since it's likely he won't appear again in an LOTR wave, but Aragorn needed his proper Helm's Deep attire, and the peach hand overload was dumb (everyone wears gloves!!!). Thus far, every scene selected for AUJ includes Bilbo, so I hope that he will only appear in a maximum of 3 sets so the Dwarves are properly represented. One other interesting idea pertains to how fervent Lego is willing to be on Thorin's Company. It's a lot of Dwarves to cover, but looking at the number in Bag End, I think they may be committed to producing the entire Company for AUJ alone. This is VERY promising, since it means it will eliminate the demand for Company Dwarves in the TDOS and TABA sets, allowing Men of Dale, Iron Hills and Elves galore. If all goes well.

I think we can do better than pure speculation (which is why I posted at length on the previous page). LOTR/Hobbit is set to follow a similar initial release structure to Indiana Jones - the acquisition of the license and the release of the first wave of "greatest hits" from the original trilogy, followed by a wave consisting solely of sets promoting and hyping scenes from the new movie, then followed by more greatest hits from the classic trilogy (with only one odd-man-out cemetery set released from KOTCS after the first wave). Lord of the Rings has much more material than Indiana Jones, and 3 new films instead of one, I think it's a strong bet we can predict the general contents of most of the waves through Summer 2014: LOTR classics, AUJ, LOTR classics, TDOS, and TABA. I wouldn't discount the exclusive 7th set, or a random odd-man-out in each wave overlapping (e.g. an AUJ or TDOS set in the TABA wave, or an extremely iconic LOTR scene showing up in a random August slot in the vein of Zombies and Spiderman). But by and large I think this is a model that makes the most business sense and is consistent with Lego's treatment of non-Star Wars licensed themes (heck, it even is like the original 1999 Star Wars schedule, with the initial release of the X-Wing, Landspeeder, Tie X-1 etc. followed by a wave only of Episode I stuff). I also note a similar treatment with lego SuperHeroes, the first wave of the line was a 'greatest hits' for the superhero world - essentially Batman only - followed up by a strong second showing of Avengers-centric sets with a small smattering of non-sequitur releases (the extremely random but extremely awesome Magneto set and the August Spiderman interlude that wisely caught the tail end of The Amazing Spiderman film hype). Lego is not run by drunken monkeys like Hasbro, where you never know what absurd and ineffective assortment of releases they're going to clog the shelves with. Lego is increasingly a logical, sharp-eyed business, and that makes their strategies more predictable. So many licensing opportunities were missed in the early 2000s - the original Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. - and Lego has done a great job over the past four years of securing franchises that will make them money, make kids happy and please AFOLs of all creeds and fandoms. Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, and now BOTH Marvel AND DC - it's really a new golden age when Lego is the most exciting stuff previewed at Comic Con.

Natick Lego store had them in stock for the first time today and I conducted a raid, acquiring the following: 1x Pirate King 1x Conquistador 1x Alien Queen 1x Banker 1x Lederhosen 1x Fairy 2x Evil Robot 3x Man-Bat and after much searching 5x Diver. Thoughts - Diver's helmet is incredibly easy to spot, it's a ridiculous massive element. ManBats have the tendency to come apart in the package, watch for the webbing. Alien Queens are easy based on the dress, and Fairy wings are a standout as well. The Cowgirls hat-hair is also larger than it looks.

I have high hopes of Summer 2013 and Winter 2014 as well. Ideally before the line is all done, we've gotten - Battle packs - whether that's a 12.99 4figure deal or a 29.99 wall chunk with 6+ minifigures - for LOTR: Gondorians, Mordor Orcs, Lothlorien Elves (Galadhrim or Forest equipment), Last Allaince (Elves and Numenoreans), Eaterlings/Haradrim, and Oathbreakers; for The Hobbit: Iron Hills Dwarves, Mirkwood Elves, Men of Dale, Goblins and whatever lurks within Dol Guldur. Major Heroes and Villains - LOTR Gondorian Pippin (Guard of the Citadel) Rohirrim Merry (Pelennor Fields) Gondorian Aragorn (Battle of the Black Gate) Gandalf the White Ranger Faramir Armored Eowyn Galadriel (it would be sweet to get the Dark version too) FOTR Arwen (Frodo's Savior) Saruman the White Grima Wormtongue Armored Witchking Gothmog The Mouth of Sauron

It's a bigger deal than you think. A lot of people have been acting like the LOTR line is as infinite as Lego Star Wars. This is simply not the case - let me break it down thoroughly. First, the lord of the Last Homely House. Elrond has three major outfit archetypes in the original trilogy: Last Alliance - This armored version is definitely the coolest, from the awesome prologue to Fellowship of the Ring. Currently only an exclusive available in the Gamestop preorder. Rivendell Casual - Various nondescript Elven robes Elrond wears around Rivendell. We stand a large chance of getting one along these lines should they make a Hobbit Rivendell set. However, it's not as exciting as the armored battle version, and likely won't have the angry/shouting Elrond face. Anduril Wanderer - Inky black heavy robes worn to deliver Anduril to Aragorn at the Paths of the Dead. Very unlikely we'll get this version. There and Back Again could elicit a set including Elrond in a different set of Hobbit battle armor, but this would likely not be the same as the Last Alliance armor - a variation perhaps. The waves likely will follow the following projection: Summer 2012 - Wave 1: Lord of the Rings (LOTR) - essentially only FOTR and TTT sets. Gandalf's Cart - FOTR Shelob's Lair - ROTK (barely, given the isolated storyline of Sam and Frodo) Helm's Wall - TTT Orc Forge - FOTR/TTT Weathertop - FOTR Mines of Moria - FOTR Helm's Deep - TTT Winter 2012 - Wave 2: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (AUJ) Bag End - AUJ ??? x6 Summer 2013 - Wave 3: Likely LOTR only, given the amount of ground not covered by Wave 1. THAUJ gets an entire wave devoted to it in all likelihood in Wave 2, which is a solid treatment. I predict a heavier focus on the huge deficit of ROTK sets. Possibles - based on most popular scenes from LOTR, here are guesses: -Battle Pack style set of some kind - Gondorians, Mordor Orcs, who knows. ??? -Eowyn vs. The Witch-King - I would HEAVILY bet this will appear, especially given Lego's implied focus on its iconic importance from the video game cover. ROTK -Mordor: could be Cirith Ungol, Black Gate, Gorgoroth, Sammath Naur, some rocks, the Crack of Doom - Frodo and Sam are popular and recognizable, and Lego will never get a chance after the LOTR line to reuse the Gollum mold, so I expect them to milk it. ROTK -Gondor: Osgiliath rubble, Minas Tirith section, can't be sure. We have to get Lego Gondorians at some point, they're just as important as Rohan, if not more so. ROTK -ISENGARD: Given the Lego designer picture, Isengard's appearance seems almost guaranteed. Saruman is the secondary villain of the trilogy and I cannot see him being passed over. Could be specific to any of the films, but I'd put my money on FOTR, with Gandalf and an Eagle. -Balrog: arguably one of the most iconic scenes of the series, I see no way Lego will pass this scene up. FOTR -?? Army of the Dead - one of the most impressive visuals in the series, a Paths of the Dead set would be simple enough to put out, with classic Lego archways and BURPS. The attraction of the Oathbreaker minifigures would be big. This is probably the biggest one that could get passed over, however. I could just as easily see an Amon Hen set being made - a chance to reuse Uruk hai tooling and put out Boromir again. **Note that the prologue sequence of the Last Alliance is primarily based around Sauron, a difficult being to create in Lego. Thus, I can see the Prologue of FOTR being passed over in favor of more iconic sets like the above projections. Winter 2013 - Wave 4: The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (release date Dec 13th, 2013) (TDOS) Summer 2014 - Wave 5: The Hobbit: There And Back Again (release date July 18th, 2014) (TABA) Winter 2014 - Wave 6: Unknowable. Could be a mix of everything - Hobbit trilogy and LOTR. Give the three waves already dedicated to the Hobbit films, I'm guessing a heavier focus on the holes in the LOTR line. Any full waves after that are unpredictable - continuing the line over 6 months after the final movie is released is possible but not guaranteed. The best case scenario is the line goes strong for all of 2015 and we cover all the bases, getting battle packs aplenty and many of the awesome castles and heroes from the saga. However, it could also peter out before that in the style of POTC or IJ. Thus, I see the only chance for a Last Alliance set in Winter 2014, *if* we get a wave then (or in the year beyond). Therefore, I think it's wise to pull the trigger on the Gamestop preorder if you want Elrond in his Last Alliance gear. With this license we're guaranteed solid representation of the "Prequel Trilogy," but the classic Lord of the Rings films have a stronger chance of underrepresentation - unless we get full waves of them in Summer 2013 and Winter 2014.

If you just want the minifigure, your best bet is to get the PC version for 30 bucks and then try returning it sans receipt at the nearest walmart.

Saw this news and instantly preordered the PC version. I'd prefer a Steam copy. However, given that Elrond's battle armor could not appear in a set at the earliest until Summer 2013 (possible Last Alliance set), and possibly not even until Summer 2014 (Elrond could likely appear in The Battle Of Five Armies) - or might remain a true exclusive, it's worth the hassle and $5 S&H/tax to secure this awesome minifigure.

SheepEater is correct. As the Lego line revolves around the Jackson universe, the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings are both trilogies, and both equal. The Clone Wars is not the worst thing in the world, but it's continually undercooked and disappointing, stomping all over the canon rather than polishing and reinforcing it (e.g. Mandalorian Traviss scandal, Darth Maul's weak resurrection).

Great photoshop, looks superb. That Mordor Orc keychain is perfect, as it's the rarest Orc outside of the Uruk Berzerker.

It's not just a money grab. To you and anyone else who rages about the Hobbit trilogy, this is a brilliantly thorough post from a premier Tolkien scholar explaining why a Hobbit trilogy is not only good but necessary: Hobbit Trilogy

Buy them Buy them all Plate or printing, either way - I just hope they come in a 30 dollar pack or less.

Reality check bro, just cool your jets. You don't want to alienate people just by over-enthusiasm.

Dude, stop making stuff up. This is wild speculation and you treat it like fact - Lego functions on a standard, two-wave-per year cycle. There's no giant merge coming, and you have no idea what dates the next wave of LOTR Lego will hit the shelves. And once and for all: everyone knows the plot of the Hobbit, it's been out for eight decades!

I think you've missed the Hobbit trailers - if there's a Rivendell set, Galadriel will appear in it.