Take a really close look at the reflection in the gold ring that LEGO teased on Twitter yesterday and you’ll see that the company actually shared an early sneak peek at today’s big reveal: an absolutely stunning 6,167-piece recreation of Rivendell reflecting the elaborate locale we’ve seen on screen.
This isn’t LEGO’s first Lord of the Rings set. Back when Peter Jackson’s movies were in theatres, LEGO did release a collection of LOTR sets and minifigures, but the largest one was a 1,300+-piece recreation of the Battle of Helm’s Deep that, by today’s LEGO standards, was relatively small. The collection also included a tiny 243-piece recreation of the the Council of Elrond, which, understandably, left LOTR fans disappointed. But it’s hard to imagine anyone being disappointed in this latest release, at least until they see its price tag.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the set’s details.
The Largest LOTR LEGO Set Ever Released
Remember how our collective jaws hit the floor when LEGO first revealed its 7,541-piece Ultimate Collector Series Star Wars Millennium Falcon? The LEGO LOTR Rivendell is only about 1,300 pieces smaller than that, and only about 600 pieces smaller than the 6,785-piece UCS Star Wars AT-AT. It measures in at 29.5 inches long when fully assembled, 15 inches tall to the top of the tower adorned with statues of famous elven warriors, and 19.5 inches deep. It also splits apart into three smaller sections for alternate arrangements and easier transport.
An Elaborate Cast of Minifigures
As is often the case, many of LEGO’s larger playsets are worth getting for the minifigures alone. Is anyone really buying The Office for a bunch of tiny brick-built photocopiers and potted plants? No! They’re after the claw-handed versions of Pam and Jim. LEGO’s LOTR Rivendell also includes 15 minifigures, but we’ll take Gandalf the Grey, Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Aragorn, Elrond, Arwen, and more, over Dwight any day.
Elrond’s Council Ring
The spot where the Fellowship of the Ring was formed and plans for the quest to Mount Doom were finalised gets a lavish treatment here with a semicircular ring of chairs surrounding a plinth where the One Ring was first revealed. We’re adding bonus points for the sausages used as chair arms. Those elves sure know how to live to its fullest.
A Hobbit Reunion
Not only can you recreate the reunion between Bilbo and Frodo Baggins after the hobbit’s rescue from the Ringwraiths by Arwen, but the Bilbo minifigure even includes a reversible head featuring his terrifyingly tortured face after being reunited with the One Ring once again.
A Masterclass in Unorthodox Piece Usage
What sets a great LEGO builder apart from a good Lego builder is their ability to look at pieces and see more than their originally intended uses. Rivendell is a masterclass in this, taught by LEGO Design Master Mike Psaiki, who’s repurposed everything from plants, to sausages, to even transparent windows to recreate waterfalls and impressive architectural accents.
Be Careful, That’s Still Sharp
Although LEGO’s Rivendell even includes the place where Aragon and Boromir first meet next to the shrine featuring the shards of Narsil, it appears as if the minifigure version of Boromir has yet to cut his finger on the still-sharp sword. But that’s nothing a red Sharpie can’t fix.
A One-Stop Shop for All Your Weapon Needs
As peaceful as Rivendell appears, the elves are still well regarded for their weapons, and not only does this set come with a well-stocked armory, but also a glowing forge for creating Lhangs and other stabby tools for making short work of orcs and goblins.
A Tiled Roof Worth the Tedium
There’s nothing worse than working your way through a textbook-sized LEGO instruction manual only to come across a step that has to be repeated countless times that dramatically slows down your build progress. That is undoubtedly the case with the tiled roof atop Rivendell — each 1×1 LEGO tile will have to be attached and aligned individually — but the results look like they’re definitely worth the effort.
Take a Spin Around Rivendell
Although LEGO did release a mountain (of doom) of images of its new LOTR Rivendell set, there still appear to be lots of details not highlighted yet. So if you’re still on the fence over whether you want to make room to add this sizeable set to your collection, you can take a quick tour of its entire layout using this 360-degree animation.
Pricing and Availability
If you’ve been hoarding your own precious gold rings, it might be time to drop by the pawn shop and cash out.
The LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set will be exclusively available for LEGO VIP members first from March 5 to March 7; they will also receive the Frodo and Gollum LEGO Brickheadz set as a gift with purchase. For everyone else, the 6,167-piece will be officially available to all online, and at LEGO’s brick-and-mortar stores, starting on March 8, for $AU799.99.