AFOLguy1970

Earlier, I had suggested the Necromancer had something on his head. If you watch the scene from AUJ and freeze it just before they stop showing him, there does seem to be a couple of shadowy shapes on either side of his head, suggesting something is there. Whether it is horns, a crown, or some type of armory thing, who knows. I was thinking along the lines of a black headpiece similar to the Sith guy who comes in the Star Wars Sith Nightspeeder set, except in total black. True, there is no cape in the scene, I just figured it would help make him more cloaked and shadowy. Sure, he is not going to be a second age Sauron figure or a big flaming eye, but right now, he is less imposing than a Gundabad orc (in my opinion, of course). On a different note, the statue does like interesting. Is it holding a clear crystal piece? There is also a ring underneath it only revealed by a hidden feature. it appears golden, just like the One Ring. Could this be one of the dwarven rings or one of the nine rings? It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the movie.

In response to the rumored sets for 2014, I am quite skeptical. It sounds a lot like the Bridge of Khazad Dum, Treebeard Encounter, and Betrayal of Isengard list that came out almost a year ago. Remember those? Why I am in doubt: (1) Minas Tirith is cheaper than Helms Deep. For a little under the price of Helms Deep, I do not know how you could have the main level plus two additional levels with a citadel. (2) The Mirror of Galadriel: great for collectors and AFOLS like me. Not so great for Lego since the kid walking through the toy aisle is not going to want a lady with a slope instead of pants and her pitcher of water. They would much rather get a Star Wars battle pack, a city set, etc. or something that has action. (3) Amon Hen: while it would be popular with some, the very big weakness is you would have no new characters in this set. Would a new version of Lurtz really make people get this? Then you have the build. Who really wants more trees and rocks? (4) Witch King set: the one everyone seems to agree on that is necessary---While it may not be a big point, it is hard to believe Merry would not appear in this. He is equally important as Eowyn in that scene. I would even prefer Merry appear in Theoden's place with armor. In the overall sense of the latest conversation, it seems like in order to have a successful wave three, you have to have each set appealing enough to sell to multiple demographics. There is hope, since it seems like the second wave is doing fairly well. I do not see piles of Wizard Battles like we saw with Gandalf Arrives and Riddles for the Ring. Orthanc is quite popular and was out of stock on my last visit to the Lego store. Black Gate and Council of Elrond are appealing to many. I think Pirate Ship Ambush was the only weak link as I saw several of those crammed on the shelves in Walmart. While it appeals to kids as the creator video suggested, they seemed to forget that most kids do not have $100 to burn. Likewise, many older collectors with the money simply saw fit to Bricklink the exclusive minifigs like the Army of the Dead and move on. I sure hope we get one more wave. It seems like Gondor and the Witch King are the biggest holes right now. Hopefully, the attention will go there.

Glad we finally got some photos. I echo the thoughts of many that the minifigs are the highlights of the sets while the builds are rather uninspiring. I too thought Lake Town would be the weakest set in the list, now it is the best build of the four as far as I am concerned. Dol Guldur Ambush: Glad to be getting Beorn. The Gundabad orcs look like some of the best bad guys so far. This set is definitely good for the minifigs Mirkwood Elf Army: Thranduil sells this set. The repeat of the polybag elves is a bit of a letdown since I prefer hair. The shields look interesting, and you get more of the Gundabad orcs. Lake Town Chase: Bard, the guard, and the master are the strengths. The house builds look medieval, which many collectors like. The boat is OK. The main weakness of the set is there is really no action. Who is being chased, and who is doing the chasing? Dol Guldur Battle: Radagast and Azog will generate the most interest. The ruins look like they are full of stickers, sort of a Mines of Moria redux. The big letdown is the Necromancer. He looks like something we once created out of the Pick-a-brick online parts. At least in the first movie, it seems like his face was too shadowy to make out any features, but there was something on his head. The head with the stud on top just does not work. Should have used a faceless black headpiece like the nazgul, put some type of black crown thing on top, and had a black cape.

Could we have a Mt. Doom set depicting two different times? Why not have one with Sam, Frodo, and Gollum, as well as Sauron? You could reenact the scene where the ring is made as well as destroyed. The "lava" could actually be some loose transparent reds and oranges that you could use to submerge someone or something. As stated above, the columns could be made to collapse, similar to the Mines of Moria. It would be nice to have a prologue set, but it seems doubtful.

I got the sticker with the Palace Cinema purchase. It is indeed for just one side. For now, the sticker remains untouched. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to Bricklink another window and just use the sticker for the outside.

Well, my FB arrived earlier this week. It was a nice build, but there was quite a surprise after finishing. Lego always provides some extra parts, but this is what was left over: DSC_0240 by stevesheriw, on Flickr Has anyone had a similar experience? From reading the forum, it appears some people are hoping the set retires soon so they can get a premium for thier extra sets. As someone who just recently discovered modulars, I am grateful for the chance to get it from Lego. There is just no way I could pay double the original retail value or more for one of these. Now the goal is to get Pet Shop around Black Friday. If Grand Emporium is still around, then i will try and get that before going after others.

I think they are inspired by different locations. From my observation: Parisian Restaurant: definitely inspired by Paris and meant to be there Palace Cinema: the inspiration is the Chinese Theater in Hollywood Fire Brigade: appears to an old American firehouse Town Hall: would fit in many places in Europe or America Pet Shop: Looks European to me, although could be in a place like San Francisco Grand Emporium: reminds me of Britain, but could be found in lots of places Green Grocer: Looks like it is from Europe Market Street: Looks Dutch Cafe Corner: European?

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to say that I just ordered the FB as of October 2013. After getting the Palace Cinema, I would really like to try more modulars. FB was ordered on the assumption that it would be the first to be retired mainly because it is the oldest one for sale at the moment. With the Parisian Restaurant coming soon, it would seem like at least one modular is going to be retired. Now may be a good time to get one if you do not already have it.

Glad we finally heard something about the sets. Thoughts: Dol Guldur Ambush: Will chime in and hope that Elrond is the unnamed figure Elven Outpost: Sounds like Thranduil is in this. Hopefully, the other elves are unnamed warriors and not a rehash of Legolas and Tauriel. This sounds like the best set so far. Dol Guldur Attack: Kind of disappointed. Radagast seems to be the bright spot, but the lack of the White Council in general is sort of a letdown. Perhaps the white orc is Bolg. It seems like Azog would have been better suited to show up at the Elven Outpost or maybe they are saving him for sets associated with the last movie release. After all, he is quite obsessed with getting to Thorin. I just dont see Azog taking the time out to go play at Dol Guldur. It seems like they are setting up for a final showdown between the arch rivals at BOFA. The "Nazgul" kind of guy would either be the Witch King or the Necromancer. I would hope for the latter, because having the set without him would not be good. His head would have to be more than just a black round head with a stud. Perhaps the image is being held back for now. After all, the reveal of the Necromancer is highly anticipated, sort of like Smaug.

Definitely what I hoped for: outdoor seating, and an apartment above. The artist studio is a real bonus too. I like how they have the outdoor seating in two places. I kind of figured there would be a rat in the back. The detail is amazing. This should get great reviews. Now to start saving up....

This seems reasonable. It is expensive, but not out of this world like the Death Star. I think the door should have some sort of function similar to the exploding wall of Helms Deep where you could drive Grond through it. A troll would be great, because you could also use it in the Black Gate set. The interior should have both the steward's chair as well as the empty throne of Gondor with steps leading up to it. I think the seige tower would be best. It could be rolled and it would have the ramp coming down to release the orcs. If they do make this, I can imagine lots of LOTR Lego fans buying multiples of this. With absolute certainty (at least to me), this set has to be made. The Witch King on the Fell Beast is what everybody wants. Only problem with the battle tower and Haradrim is, you and I both know people will rant about the absence of the oliphaunt, even though we know it will drive the cost very high. I envision a set similar to Shelob Attacks, with the creature build being the main part of the set. I think it should be Witch King, Merry, Eowyn with helmet and hair options, and maybe Theoden and Snowmane. This would be another build mainly devoted to the creature. The only thing I really dislike is that we get yet another Gandalf, but he is essential. He should have a staff and sword. I think instead of using the plain brown stick, they need to put a clear gem mounted on top to simulate the light. Give the Balrog his big flaming sword and whip. The collapsing bridge function is also essential. I would definitely rather have more Moria orcs than repeat fellowship members. After all, the Mines of Moria set has it where Legolas could shoot both of those orcs even before they got through the door! At least one should have a bow. Why it wont get made: no action sequence. Gandalf Arrives sold well until there were other ways to get him, then it sort of collected dust on the Walmart shelves. Riddles for the Ring is also not doing so well, at least from a shopper's perspective. Wizard Battle is great because you have action as well as some very nice pieces. I do hope they make a Galadriel in either LOTR or Hobbit. I do think that somehow the small set would have Frodo, because you need one last chance to get him and the Ring. Maybe they can do a small Mt. Doom set or even a Buckleberry Ferry setup with another mounted Nazgul. Great ideas, I hope we see at least some of these next year.

This is really fantastic. The atrium really works well, and I like how you did the exhibits. This should be a great addition to your modulars.

Nesquick, I think you have the right idea. Outdoor seating would be expected in a set like this. As for minifigs, you would at minimum expect a waiter, a chef, and at least two customers. For the interior, I imagine some more indoor seating and the kitchen. Agreed that the second level will likely not be part of the restaurant. Hoping for the nice little details like the wine bottles. I think they should also have bread on the table as this is the custom of the real thing. As for the color scheme, it is anyone's guess. I would just expect that the architecture would appear to be Parisian. An Art Nouveau Metro entrance outside the restaurant would be great (no vehicle this time).

I think the possibility of having the Witch King on a fell beast facing off against Eowyn and Merry is reasonable. A lot of posters on this board and others have stated their hope for such a set. I think it would appeal to kids for playability and action as well as collectors for the iconic scene. It would be hard to make a MOC of the head nazgul because his face armor is rather unique. Nothing exists right now in Lego form that looks like that. A Prancing Pony would be great, but doubt it would show up if there is only one more wave left. I could see doing a two level build with the tavern, the bedroom upstairs, a couple of hobbits, Strider, Barliman Butterbur, and one or two Nazgul. Perhaps they could do the gate with the man sized and hobbit sized "peep" holes. The gate would also have a collapsing function as the nazgul arrive.

I too would think we would have to hear (or see) something soon regarding the 2013 Hobbit sets. If you were a toy manufacturer, you would want your inventory for sale with plenty of time to allow holiday shoppers to buy your product. I feel that they really cut it close last year with the Hobbit sets. Before Christmas, inventory seemed very sparse, at least where I live. It was by dumb luck I was able to buy the "Unexpected Gathering" set since my son found one hidden behind other boxes at Walmart. It was the only Hobbit set I physically saw in a store before Christmas. I was able to order Attack of the Wargs on S@H, but other sets were sold out almost immediately on the site . When they did become available, delivery could not be guaranteed before Christmas . I know they wanted to coordinate the release with the movie, but the release of the movie was too close to Christmas and did not give someone much time to pick up the sets in time to make them gifts. Although this will be the case again this year, I would hope Lego would release the sets a bit earlier than last time and in greater quantities. After all, the company which makes the Hobbit action figures had their inventory out way before Lego did. I would have to imagine that these are the only four sets for the wave. If they waited until later to release a special (Erebor, Smaug, etc) set, then they have lost the busy holiday season with which to promote it, and that would hurt sales. Dad might buy the special set to go under the Christmas tree, but would not be as likely to purchase it in February. Just speculation of course, but that is my take on this.

I know Meduseld is desired by many, but I am not sure we would see it due to the following reasons: (1) Gondor is in bad need of attention, and there may not be many sets left to fill this gap. (2) A Rohan throne scene technically already exists in the keep of Helms Deep. Another Rohan throne scene would be somewhat redundant. Besides, if they were to depict another throne room, I would think the one in Minas Tirith would be the one many would want to see. (3) Wormtongue creates a problem. You really have to have him in a Meduseld set, however if you do that, then there is no longer an exclusive minifig in the Orthanc set. As far as I know, Lego usually tries to include at least one exclusive figure in the collector's sets to add to the uniqueness. Some Orthanc owners could feel that their set is "devalued" in a sense. With a little added disclaimer. I think Edoras is a great location. Some people have made good MOCs of it. The good news is if you have Orthanc and Helms Deep, you have the crucial elements already to make one.