BenA

I didn't really mind the lack of detail on the Fell Beast head, but it did inspire me to have a go at modding it. I reworked the head almost entirely, and while I was at it added reigns, modded the saddle and put the wings on ball joints. It has pretty much the same range of articulation as the original, although I had to sacrifice the tongue. I think I'm going to leave it like this, what do you reckon? Suggestions welcome! Wing mod instuctions here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C763T25o_4m/?igsh=MTN6Zzg2eXhta2V0ZA== Head mod instructions here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C763jGmIVcU/?igsh=a2NkZGJsaXNlcG04

Love the seamlessly angled joins between the walls. The floor and rockwork are also top notch. Yep, would be happy if this was next year's official LOTR set, great job!

@RichardGoring

I read somewhere that if they were real, Barad Dûr would be around 1500ft tall, and Orthanc would be around 150ft. That got me thinking, could the GWP could be an 'architecture-style' version of Orthanc - miniature, but still roughly in scale with Barad Dûr? That way they could be displayed together, and Lego could claim to have given us "the Two Towers" . In support of my - admittedly highly unlikely - theory, I think BrickClicker did describe the GWP as 'an 18+ display set' - key word 'display', not 'play'. And even more tenuously, if I remember right, didn't one of the maps in Rivendell incorrectly show both towers - could that have been a hint!??? If the GWP did turn out to be a mini-Orthanc, it would be great if it came with another minifig. Maybe not Saruman due to needing a new hair/beard mold, but perhaps another Orc... Or Grima, just to really annoy the resellers To be clear, I don't think any of the above is likely, but it's fun to speculate! Final edit, I think the heights I quoted were based on the movie versions. Not sure if they'd apply to the book versions or not. But the sets are based on the movies so

Haha, thanks. There are some amazing ones out there so that's high praise indeed! Thanks! I think it can be improved - I had a play around last night and added some tan underneath a section of the water to simulate the stream bed. You can see it on the bottom left of the waterfall in the pic below. I think it also helps the water stand out more, although it might be too bright now! I've got some dark tan parts on order so will see if that hits the sweet spot...

Thanks both! And yep, good idea about adding some blue for contrast - might give that a go!

Pippin is trying to explain that they're lost but Merry's not listening - he's just found a biscuit in his pocket! Just playing around with a few ideas ahead of a much bigger moc I'm planning. This is one is a test of a waterfall/stream technique I wanted to try. I got hold of about 30 this part and figured it might make a decent flowing water effect. But in the end it was a lot more difficult than I anticipated because there's not much back/forward rotation in the clips. I ended up with quite a few 'illegal' connections, although I think they could be designed out with a bit of planning. I quite like the end result - I think I got some of the flowing movement I was after, although I next time I'm going to try adding some tan/dark tan under the water pieces to simulate the stream bed. Hopefully it will help emphasise the effect more. Anyway, hope you enjoy the pics - comments/suggestions welcome! Edit: Thanks for the frontpage!

I know, right? I emailed the store manager and asked, and his response was: "Regarding the LOTR polybag you received with your purchase - you're right, it is an older set. Occasionally, we have very small quantities of previous promotions, which we can then use as little extras for kids, perhaps on their birthday or another special occasion. In this case, we were able to use the polybag as a reward for those first few customers who bought the Rivendell set, as a thank you to them for supporting the store." So I guess they must have had some really old stock lurking in the back . Makes me wonder what else they've got back there! Really nice touch though.

Picked up mine today in store at Liverpool UK. Got there at 09:30ish, store opened at 11:00. I was the only one there until about 10:15, when quite a few folks showed up in quick succession. I reckon there were 30-odd in the queue by opening time - hopefully a good sign! As others have said, there was a really good atmosphere and the staff were great, everything packaged up ready at the till. I got a number of GWP - Frodo and Gollum, The removal truck, Houses of the world 1, a VIP keyring, a sailor minifig with a yellow duck (slightly random, but hey, not complaining) and most unexpectedly of all, polybag 30210 - Frodo with his green shirt. I think that was from 2012?!! I most definitely wasn't expecting that last one, but it was a great addition. If anyone from the Liverpool store is reading this, thanks!

Me too! Spent the last couple of years picking up LOTR minifigs for a large scale moc and it's cost me a fortune! With a bit of luck the D2C will a) be true and b) be Minas Tirith so we can get Orcs, Rohan soldiers, Gondorian soldiers, the Dead, the Witch king, Eowyn, Denethor and Faramir in one go! I can dream, right?

Eeeeeeeeee!

Thanks - I'm not a quick builder, but I'd better get to it! Hadn't thought of that, I'll give it a try, cheers If it does stick out too far I think I have an alternative using a modified plate with ring (ID 4081). Just need to pick up a few of them in brown.

Just playing around with a few ideas for a Treebeard moc. Thinking if I can get him done I might put it on Lego Ideas as a "UCS" version. He's not really based on the movies, more my interpretation of him from the books. Except for his moustache, he's surprisingly sturdy, clips and bars hold everything in place pretty well. At the moment I'm not sure about his eyes - they're pearl gold but I think they need to be brighter... or maybe I've overdone his eyebrows. Here's a slightly earlier version... Part of me prefers them slightly simpler. Thoughts and suggestions welcome!

Great photography brings lots of atmosphere! The foliage and landscaping is very nicely done. I like Lurtz' bow too. Great job.

These are fantastic! I especially like your Winter Village minis - they're so accurate and recognisable. I've never bought unofficial instructions, but if you ever made any for these I would be very tempted!