Commander Laquiet

Fantastic build! Love the rockwork :thumbup:

Great! Enjoying your great depiction of Mitch Johnson.

Well. I haven't posted in a while. This is the best Star Wars set I have seen in AGES. There is no way I am passing this up. No way. What a triumph of licensed theme building. LEGO: :thumbup:

This is amazing! Awesome builds, thanks for showing us them in such detail - particularly the bust of R2 in the swamp. The astromech hangar is awesome too - actually, I really like them all! Great techniques and ideas, and it's cool how they all integrate. Well done!

When Gandalf arrived on Christmas Day at Bag End (newly redecorated in purple stripe), the small package he handed Frodo felt heavy. The Hobbit gave it a shake, and it rattled (suspiciously like Lego, Frodo thought). A new pack of magician cards? A special Dwarven cutlery set? How wrong he would be...

Awesome! Lovely build. I'm loving all the fine details, and as mentioned your photography is excellent. Great work! (by the way I think the slideshow is great! Leave as is please! )

Really nice build! I like the overall shape and the clean colour layout. Also those little flap side doors towards the back are very cool... I could easily see this being the Republic Gunship's brother. Any interior other than the cockpit? Great work!

I'm not entirely sure I agree with the disconnected argument. I certainly see where it is coming from, but I feel that the Hobbit sets appear so well built/designed that this balances out the other problems. I think that viewed purely as sets they are great little dioramas, and one of the things I actually like about the disconnectedness is that it really does encourage kids to build around and within their new set - something I think is good. I don't think this is the real intention, but I'd like to think that the effect of this possible problem is actually a good one. As for the set I look forward to: weirdly by way of the discussion I am really loving the Barrel Escape. I sadly can't buy the whole theme so I am looking at the two or three sets I'll pick up and this one really sticks out: great minifigure selection with elves, dwarves and hobbits, some very nice parts and reasonable substantial set design. It looks cool, too! I love those dwarves... And of course hopefully Bag End.

Awesome! I concur that the arches are a brilliant touch. I am also such a fan of those stained glass windows in any MOC. The creation has atmosphere... That's a tricky thing to achieve. I applaud.

I think it's cool that they are giving us a bit of an insight into how their design process works. While some have said it's very formulaic, I guess part of the challenge (and what I suppose they're looking for) is to design something that conforms but also is a little bit unique - plenty of opportunity when it comes to Lego! I'll have fun doing this, I think.

I'm in agreement with a few of the above posts on the sets being best for MOCers - Warg looks great! I do however seem to have developed a soft spot for the Goblin King set - it looks just like an LotR set should be! All the sets are, to be honest, great, and I think we have been very lucky - and Lego have been very thoughtful - in that this is a line definitely with a focus on creating detailed, intricate sets - not just huge playsets. Can't wait for release.

I don't know how long it'll take for MMV to be topped, but I'd say a while. There have been a few recent sets (Helm's Deep) that have been in a similar league, but... none of them quite as good. MMV was brilliant because it was the best set Castle had produced in a while, especially for the AFOL. It was fun, well built, good value, an incredibly nice parts pack, can be added to for a layout or can simply stand alone, and something a bit different to past sets. This, as the first impression most of us got in 2008, was a pretty good start - and it has lasted, as we are still debating it four years later. I think, in many ways, MMV sparked a wee bit of a new direction for Lego - the style of set has now been mimicked in many themes - and heralded the real start for me of the current 'Golden Age' we have. The attention to detail, the great (at the time) new parts, and the fun, accepting Lego-ness of it endeared it to all. Many bought several copies (a few a lot more than several!). I bought one, and built it, and loved it, and think it is the best set I have ever bought. I siphon off pieces every now and again for projects, but I could never bear to destroy it. If I were only ever able to thank Lego for one set, I'd thank them for MMV. (Sorry for the rant, but any excuse to discuss the virtues of MMV I grab with both hands. )

Great MOC! Love the simplicity of the details on the gate. There is a beautiful subtlety to the stonework. The snowy outskirts are lovely too, the white tree leaves work really well. Great work!

I don't own any, so I'm probably not the best advice, but I am the same in that I buy sets based on parts mainly (looking cool helps too ). I would personally go with the Mines of Moria or QAR, due mainly to the fact these are licensed themes and you will get better value for your money if you buy these on discount vs. buying a non-licensed set. You can always pick up the Crazy Scientist (awesome set!) later. I think Mines of Moria would be the best choice; great minifigures and parts; but there isn't much to choose between them. You are in the envious position of not having to choose A set to buy but to choose FROM a number of fantastic sets. Whichever you buy won't be a bad choice! (you will notice I've disregarded the Knight Bus. I think the other 3 are better. ) But it's your choice.

Wow. Awesome set. Licensed has been quite fantastic recently with HP, PoP etc and the LotR line appears to be simply continuing the run. Great review.