Lego’s Shire Set Ought to’ve Been Extr...

After a few years away within the wake of the Hobbit movies’ releases, Lego’s Lord of the Rings line has firmly established itself as one of many brick maker’s annual treats, first delivering an incredible, lush replica of Rivendell in 2023, after which the daunting dark tower of Barad-Dûr final 12 months. In 2025 Lego is taking to coronary heart the teachings on the core of the movies and embracing the finer components of a quiet, peaceable life by visiting the Shire and the opening act of Fellowship of the Ring. However whereas hobbits overcome the prejudices of their halfling stature with the qualities of any of the opposite mortal races of Center-earth, maybe this newest launch might need been higher served by going smaller fairly than greater.

Lego not too long ago supplied io9 with a duplicate of the newest Lord of the Rings Icons sequence set, the Shire, for overview. After a suitably relaxed weekend tinkering away on the set, we’re right here to inform you what works—and what doesn’t—as Lego continues to carve out a few of Center-earth’s most well-known locales.

How lengthy does it take to construct Lego’s Lord of the Rings Shire set?

Clocking in at 2,017 items, the Shire is the smallest of the three Icons sequence entrants for Lord of the Rings up to now by a big margin. It’s not solely that that makes it a a lot swifter construct: the Shire is damaged down into one major show piece—an unenclosed duplicate of Bag Finish because it seems within the opening of Fellowship of the Ring—after which a sequence of unconnected mini builds to place round it, together with Gandalf’s horse and fireworks cart, and several other items to duplicate Bilbo’s birthday celebrations on the Shire’s Celebration Tree which might be a lot much less intricate.

Even Bag Finish is damaged down into three separate builds, so whereas comparatively diverse, it’s easy sufficient. Relying in your tempo, you possibly can simply full the construct in six to eight hours over the course of a day. You may take a very hobbit-inspired lengthy weekend and do it slowly, must you so need.

What number of minifigures are in Lego’s Lord of the Rings Shire set?

The Shire comes with 9 minifigures, one human (properly, human-ish), and eight hobbits: Gandalf the Gray, Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry and Pippin, Rosie Cotton, after which Farmer Proudfoot and his spouse. Rosie and the Proudfoots are making their minifigure debut right here, whereas Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Bilbo have up to date printing to provide them outfits impressed by their appearances at Bilbo’s 111th birthday bash to distinguish them from the variations that got here in 2023’s Rivendell set. Frodo and Sam at the moment are the one Lord of the Rings characters to have include all the Icons units up to now!

Each minifigure save for Rosie comes with an acceptable associated accent. Gandalf has his wizard workers and an array of fireworks for his cart, in addition to alternate components to depict him with out his hat on or to sit down driving his cart (which Frodo additionally contains, to sit down alongside him). Merry and Pippin embrace different hair items to recreate the second they dramatically set off Gandalf’s dragon firework, Bilbo has the One Ring, Farmer Proudfoot has a brush, Mrs. Proudfoot has a very giant parsnip, and Sam has a pair of backyard shears. , for when he ain’t droppin’ no eaves, sir.

Is Lego’s Lord of the Rings Shire set tough to construct?

In contrast to Rivendell and Barad-Dûr, the Shire is the best Lord of the Rings set, architecturally talking, up to now. There are some enjoyable particulars right here and there, particularly how the entrance finish of Bag Finish is constructed, crammed with little neat particulars just like the wattle fence and rounded home windows—however the inside to the hobbit gap is comparatively plain small and plain as compared, with simply three small vignettes within the type of Bilbo’s examine, the kitchen, and the doorway hallway included. It’s a marked enchancment on the much-smaller scaled model of Bag Finish Lego launched in 2012 for the Hobbit line, however contemplating this has simply over thrice the items (and prices considerably extra; extra on that later), that’s not too stunning.

It helps then {that a} chunk of the components rely is taken up by smaller satellite tv for pc builds as properly to recreate Bilbo’s celebration scene to keep away from Bag Finish from changing into too intricate: a cake stand, a small tent (beneath which you’ll be able to place a spherical inexperienced mound to plant Merry and Pippin’s ill-gotten firework within the floor), and the Celebration Tree itself, to which a duplicate of the dragon firework will be hooked up. Nevertheless, all three are comparatively minor distractions from the first focus of the set, for higher or worse.

Is Lego’s Shire set higher for Lego followers or Lord of the Rings followers?

For those who’re coming to the Shire for a fancy construct on the extent of both Rivendell or Barad-Dûr, you’re not going to get it. Whereas Bag Finish itself is good, and has some enjoyable little engineering particulars—a selected spotlight is a turning mechanism in its fire, so you’ll be able to rotate a burning letter out with a hidden One Ring to recreate the second Gandalf and Frodo check to see if it truly is the fabled ring of energy. However the satellite tv for pc constructions for Bilbo’s celebration are extremely fundamental, to the purpose of feeling like pointless padding to the construct. The Celebration Tree is paradoxically one of many worst and greatest components of the construct: the included material banner for Bilbo’s birthday is fantastic, as is the lovable mechanical impact to rotate a part of the stand so you’ll be able to depict Bilbo disappearing with the ring, however the tree itself appears to be like terrible for what is supposed to be a high-end set. The random timber in Rivendell are far more lavish and indulgent regardless of additionally being fundamental builds, and the included tree appears to be like extra like a twig than the massive, lush one we see within the movie.

And that’s type of the killer downside with the set. Bag Finish appears to be like and feels good as a show piece for Lord of the Rings followers, but it surely additionally feels prefer it may’ve regarded nicer, if its components rely had been devoted to giving extra room within the exterior, or perhaps a extra enclosed exterior protecting it. The additional builds for Bilbo’s celebration have cute particulars these followers will even recognize, however they’re so fundamental (and, in contrast to in both Rivendell or Barad-Dûr’s instances, they’re not half of a bigger show base) they only really feel vestigial. For those who love hobbits and the Shire’s aesthetic, the set appears to be like the half, however then you definitely get to the different Oliphaunt within the room.

How a lot is Lego’s Lord of the Rings Shire set? Is it well worth the value?

The Shire will price you a whopping $260, which is admittedly far much less whopping than the eye-watering costs for Rivendell ($500) and Barad-Dûr ($460), but it surely’s additionally a far lesser set than both of these two as compared for that value. The construct is much less fascinating, even earlier than you query over whether or not or not the ancillary builds are literally value together with. The minifigures, whereas good and acceptable for the setting, don’t stand out in the best way both Rivendell or Barad-Dûr’s choice did. On this financial system, or some other, even with Lego’s more and more premium costs, $260 appears like a leap you couldn’t even toss a dwarf for.

Both a extra detailed Bag Finish for the same value, or a smaller-scaled set that reduce the additional builds (and perhaps just a few minifigures) however got here in at $200 might need made the sting rather less pointed. However despite their a lot increased value (and, on condition that they’re completely out there by means of Lego, reductions are rarer than mithril), both Rivendell or Barad-Dûr make higher decisions for Lego or Lord of the Rings followers to go for than this.

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