REVIEW- 30213- Gandalf at Dol Guldur

[Slobey]

NAME:Gandalf at Dol Guldur

SET NUMBER:30213

PARTS: 31

MINIFIGURES:1

RELEASE:2012

PRICE:Not sure of US RRP

The Polybag:

IMG_0381 by slobey79, on Flickr

Standard polybag fare here.Shot of the completed set with Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains in the background.

The contents (minus minfig):

IMG_0390 by slobey79, on Flickr

Not a lot of rare or exciting pieces here I have to say. a small collection of dark bluish grey slopes which come in handy for landscaping if you are that way inclined. I have to say after the great parts pack that was 30212 this is a bit of a let down....

The Minifig:

IMG_0386 by slobey79, on Flickr

What can i say it is your standard Gandalf the Grey ( complete with wonky beard )

The Instructions:

IMG_0391 by slobey79, on Flickr

The only criticism I have here is that the base needs to be rotated between step 1 to step 2 and it isn't noted. This only confused me for about 2 seconds but may give give a younger child a hard time.

The completed model:

IMG_0388 by slobey79, on Flickr

I haven't seen the movie yet but I expected Dol Guldur to be a bit bigger

Design: 10/20 It's really a buch of rocks and a minifig

Playability:10/20 I suppose you could have gandalf try to swat the spider with his map..........

Parts:13/20 Not bad collection of slopes for landscaping

Minifigures:12/20 A main character in a small set, good for a parents budget but nothing we don't have already. i can see him becoming the Harry Potter of the LOTR/Hobbit lines

Price:16/20 Main character in an impulse set is pretty good value if you don't already have him.

FINAL:61/100 Buy it if you are a completionist like me or don't have Gandalf from the 2012 LOTR sets, but give it a miss and buy another copy of 30212 if you aren't.

" I have a feeling we're not alone...."

IMG_0393 by slobey79, on Flickr

Edited December 22, 2012 by Slobey

[Sir Walter Maugham]

Oh wow. I actually think this is one of the best part packs I've seen in a long time.

I only have 2 of those new swords; I'd jump at a chance to get them cheap. (I couldn't justify spending 3$ on each extra Evil Knight when all I'd really be getting that I was interested in were the swords)

And capes are always useful. Also, one can never have too many of the classic skulls.

Edited December 22, 2012 by Sir Walter Maugham

[SpiderSpaceman]

Step 1 to 2 confused me as well but I finally interpreted the opposite (no turning). The thing is, you expect the slope in step one to peek out from behind the slope added to the foreground of step 2. It turns out to be completely hidden, just barely. it's almost kind of a visual illusion.

[gundamz]

Oh wow. I actually think this is one of the best part packs I've seen in a long time.

I only have 2 of those new swords; I'd jump at a chance to get them cheap. (I couldn't justify spending 3$ on each extra Evil Knight when all I'd really be getting that I was interested in were the swords)

And capes are always useful. Also, one can never have too many of the classic skulls.

I agree with the comparison to the Evil Knight. Compared with what you get in a CMF pack (a single minifigure and a couple tools at best, and you might not even get the minifigure you want), these polybags could be an excellent deal for some.

[KristofBD]

The real price most people have to pay (because the polybag does not appear in their country) is however often far higher than the modest original price. I must say I find this a pretty weak set - especially when compared to the majestic Mirkwood elf polybag which contains so many rare parts. But if you don't already have a Gandalf (or three as in my case...), I guess it is a useful one.

[CommoScout]

TRU in my area is selling these at 6$ and upward.

Fair review I say, I do wish they made Foe-Hammer, Orcrist and Sting slightly different from the other blades in the set, considering they are of Elven make.

Details.

[Fives]

I have a feeling that this small set doesn't depict Dol Guldur, but rather the troll cave. It shows what seems to be Glamdring with Gandalf finding it. Regardless, I find this to be a very lackluster set. It just doesn't offer any amazing pieces and its yet another Gandalf the Grey.

[BobThePom]

Isn't that the same map that was used in a few Indiana Jones sets? If so I would have preferred a better representation of what I assume to be Thror's map.

[jhc2nmfn]

I have a feeling that this small set doesn't depict Dol Guldur, but rather the troll cave. It shows what seems to be Glamdring with Gandalf finding it. Regardless, I find this to be a very lackluster set. It just doesn't offer any amazing pieces and its yet another Gandalf the Grey.

I was actually thinking the same thing. Unless I missed it, i couldn't find anything on the bag or instructions saying dol guldar and when I looked on the internet I couldn't find any official TLG name for the set anywhere. All I saw was what's on bricklimk I believe that said dol guldar.

[Mahtion]

Orcrist is far more important than sting in the Hobbit. Sting is demeaned as a letter opener while orcrist and glamdring are mentioned several times especially in Rivendell and even more so in Goblin town. Sting doesn't shine until the spiders of Mirkwood in the books. Lego will make tons of new molds for Chima but refuses to make a couple unique sword molds for the most important weapons: Anduril, Glamdring and Orcrist. It is pathetic but then I guess Orcrist wouldn't be used in many sets. Maybe by the second or third wave as Thorin gains prominence so will his legendary sword.

Also Toys r us has this set listed as Gandalf at Dol Guldur so that means that this isn't the Troll hoard and the sword is just a sword, not necessarily Glamdring.

Another little detail, Gandalf was not at Dol Guldur in AUJ, Radagast was the one to investigate. Lego could have made a Radagast instead of using yet another Gandalf.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Mahtion

[jhc2nmfn]

Yea radagast was the one to explore it in the movie but I think gandalf will be in dol guldar by the end of the trilogy and im sure that's what this set represents as I think it'd highly unlikely we get an actual dol guldar set.

Edited December 24, 2012 by jhc2nmfn

[King Aragorn]

WOW!

I love this mini set! The rock with the skull is creepy!