Lord of the Rings Ongoing Discussion

[Lordhelmet]

4 minutes ago, Balrogofmorgoth said:

Welp. LOTR GWP confirmed by BC, not the Legolas and Gimli Brickheadz 

just saw, day one purchase it is

[Moexy]

Is it certain that a fellbeast is coming with the Barad-dûr set? I hoped the GWP would be a Witch-King riding (flying?) a fellbeast, but if one is already coming in the set … it’s leaves room for more exciting minifigures (Isildur? )

[Cyprinus]

3 hours ago, Lordhelmet said:

I am all for the exclusive set, it is more lego LOTR which is what I want as a collector (especially if it is rare or unique).  I know I am buying it for essentially $50-$90 premium to get it ($90 is how much you would save at 20%, but VIP points are worth $22.50 to $45 for double VIP so at the high end $90, low end $22.50).  So if there is an exclusive set I will buy day one knowing that I am paying the $50 premium to get that set.  On the flip side it is exclusive and I could potentially sell it for $50 or more in a lot of cases.  I don't view it as exploitation, it is an offer for collectors to pay a premium price but get something extra that is worth the premium.

You're kinda ignoring just how limited gwps and such can be. The DnD Mimic went out pretty fast, I'm fully expecting this will be gone at least as quickly, if not faster. Meaning you have to be able to get the set basically right after it appears in the store, or you risk missing out and having to pay through the nose on the secondary market. The DnD set dropped at 1 am (in my area anyway), which isn't exactly a great time for a lot of people...
 

6 minutes ago, Moexy said:

Is it certain that a fellbeast is coming with the Barad-dûr set? I hoped the GWP would be a Witch-King riding (flying?) a fellbeast, but if one is already coming in the set … it’s leaves room for more exciting minifigures (Isildur? )

No, we don't know what it will be.

Edited April 4, 2024 by Cyprinus

[BrickBob Studpants]

14 minutes ago, Moexy said:

Is it certain that a fellbeast is coming with the Barad-dûr set? I hoped the GWP would be a Witch-King riding (flying?) a fellbeast, but if one is already coming in the set … it’s leaves room for more exciting minifigures (Isildur? )

As I just explained above, GWP sets are super limited and thus don’t have any new pieces. Even new prints are pretty rare. Keep expectations as low as possible

[mirkwoodspiders]

1 hour ago, Lordhelmet said:

just saw, day one purchase it is

Minute one purchase for me if this GWP is halfway decent lol

[hikouki]

Exciting times!!!

[Black Falcon]

3 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

GWP sets rarely have anything exclusive about them, which makes sense given their limited availability and the fact they’re only an incentive to buy other sets. Exclusive prints are pretty rare (for instance, I fully expect the mimic’s eyes to reappear in another set), recoloured pieces even more rare, and new pieces next to impossible  

Not that rare as it would seem. Sure they will try to use as much existing parts as possible, but it isn´t like it is really that rare that they make exclusive print or parts in new colours (and actually making one in new colour wouldn´t be any different to bringing any part not produced in that colour at that time back).

We just had two new trans-yellow pieces, an new printed space baby head, and the head and body in a new colour in just one gwp. Jane Godall GWP had two new prints and one piece in a new colour at least, and also brought the Chimpanzee back. Surely that many new pieces/prints in one set are indeed rare but there are plenty more examples that got at least one or two.

[Balrogofmorgoth]

I would be just as happy with a little set of Tolkien at his desk or something honestly. 

[RAKRONDEWL]

1 minute ago, Balrogofmorgoth said:

I would be just as happy with a little set of Tolkien at his desk or something honestly. 

I never would of thought of this idea but I absolutely love it.

[Balrogofmorgoth]

If the GWP is something that goes with Barad-Dûr, then I could see another Ringwraith or more Orcs (all repeats from the set itself), which I would also be perfectly fine with. Something new would be nice but I know better than to expect it

[Lordhelmet]

20 minutes ago, Balrogofmorgoth said:

If the GWP is something that goes with Barad-Dûr, then I could see another Ringwraith or more Orcs (all repeats from the set itself), which I would also be perfectly fine with. Something new would be nice but I know better than to expect it

I’d be happy with this too, one or two extra figures from the set would be a win (like gringots). 
 

I see all the minute one purchase comments too, agreed I might try to buy online but honestly I’ll just line up at the store early.  I don’t mind waiting a few hours to make sure I get a copy. 

[mirkwoodspiders]

29 minutes ago, Lordhelmet said:

I see all the minute one purchase comments too, agreed I might try to buy online but honestly I’ll just line up at the store early.  I don’t mind waiting a few hours to make sure I get a copy. 

Oh yeah, Saturday release day. My local store is only about 40 minutes away. Not sure how early I'd have to go to get a copy, but I'd be willing to bring a book and wait 3-4 hours at least. I just can't wait for this set.

[mirkwoodspiders]

I'm wondering:

1) Do you think LEGO continues releasing large LOTR sets in the future? I'd say yes. 2 in the span of less than 1.5 years makes me think another one is on the way in the next year or so.

2) If the answer to 1) is "no", are you satisfied with these two releases as stand-alone sets? I'd say definitely not! Rivendell and Barad-Dur are fantastic, but it'd be cruel to give us these two then cut things off when we're still soaking in the return to the theme.

Edited April 5, 2024 by mirkwoodspiders

[zoth33]

6 hours ago, Black Falcon said:

Not that rare as it would seem. Sure they will try to use as much existing parts as possible, but it isn´t like it is really that rare that they make exclusive print or parts in new colours (and actually making one in new colour wouldn´t be any different to bringing any part not produced in that colour at that time back).

We just had two new trans-yellow pieces, an new printed space baby head, and the head and body in a new colour in just one gwp. Jane Godall GWP had two new prints and one piece in a new colour at least, and also brought the Chimpanzee back. Surely that many new pieces/prints in one set are indeed rare but there are plenty more examples that got at least one or two.

They don't make new molds for GWP there is no way it's going to be the Witch king.  

[Roebuck]

4 hours ago, Balrogofmorgoth said:

If the GWP is something that goes with Barad-Dûr, then I could see another Ringwraith or more Orcs (all repeats from the set itself), which I would also be perfectly fine with. Something new would be nice but I know better than to expect it

A battlepack like that would go great with the set and be easy for Lego to make; so they probably will not do it

3 hours ago, mirkwoodspiders said:

I'm wondering:

1) Do you think LEGO continues releasing large LOTR sets in the future? I'd say yes. 2 in the span of less than 1.5 years makes me think another one is on the way in the next year or so.

2) If the answer to 1) is "no", are you satisfied with these two releases as stand-alone sets? I'd say definitely not! Rivendell and Barad-Dur are fantastic, but it'd be cruel to give us these two then cut things off when we're still soaking in the return to the theme.

If they sell enough they will keep making them if not they will cancel them, as easy as that (all about the money)

[Unknown Jedi Master]

The GWP makes it a day one buy. Still haven't gotten Rivendell so better get going with that.

3 hours ago, mirkwoodspiders said:

I'm wondering:

1) Do you think LEGO continues releasing large LOTR sets in the future? I'd say yes. 2 in the span of less than 1.5 years makes me think another one is on the way in the next year or so.

2) If the answer to 1) is "no", are you satisfied with these two releases as stand-alone sets? I'd say definitely not! Rivendell and Barad-Dur are fantastic, but it'd be cruel to give us these two then cut things off when we're still soaking in the return to the theme.

Yes, I definitely think more sets are being planned, and will be released if Darad-dûr is well received. 

I don't think Minas Tirith is possible to do justice, and I am unsure of whether LEGO has confidence in an Edoras selling well. Making a huge Helm's Deep would make so much sense next year with the War of the Rohirrim movie coming out. I got the impression that the designers are looking to complete the theme by making sets we previously haven't gotten before doing remakes, but I think Helm's Deep or a bigger Bag End set would be the "safest" sets if LEGO still doesn't have full confidence in the theme selling well. 

[Moexy]

13 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

As I just explained above, GWP sets are super limited and thus don’t have any new pieces. Even new prints are pretty rare. Keep expectations as low as possible

I’m trying to keep expectations low … but if the quality of Lars Family Homestead Kitchen is something to go by. An Isildur reprint isn’t that hard, they don’t have to give him a helmet (Mount Doom scene).

[Ben S]

2 hours ago, Unknown Jedi Master said:

I don't think Minas Tirith is possible to do justice, and I am unsure of whether LEGO has confidence in an Edoras selling well. Making a huge Helm's Deep would make so much sense next year with the War of the Rohirrim movie coming out. I got the impression that the designers are looking to complete the theme by making sets we previously haven't gotten before doing remakes, but I think Helm's Deep or a bigger Bag End set would be the "safest" sets if LEGO still doesn't have full confidence in the theme selling well. 

Yes, Helm's Deep and Bag End are safer bets. I would love to see a huge Helm's Deep, it's my favorite battle of the trilogy. But for me a big Bag End would be better, with all the rooms, details, dwarf minifigures and molds... 

[RichardGoring]

How many figures would you need to make a satisfactory UCS Helm's Deep? Probably quite a lot.

And would LEGO put enough into it to make it feel right? Probably not.

The worry about a UCS Helm's Deep is that it would be really hard to get sufficient figures, so I'd hope they'd release a battle pack alongside it. Less likely, but still viable, would be to put the massable figures on PaB.

The nice thing about LotR is that there are a lot of great subjects for UCS sets, and I hope they continue to release them at a reasonable pace, every couple of years.

[Bugbot20082]

3 minutes ago, RichardGoring said:

How many figures would you need to make a satisfactory UCS Helm's Deep? Probably quite a lot.

And would LEGO put enough into it to make it feel right? Probably not.

The worry about a UCS Helm's Deep is that it would be really hard to get sufficient figures, so I'd hope they'd release a battle pack alongside it. Less likely, but still viable, would be to put the massable figures on PaB.

The nice thing about LotR is that there are a lot of great subjects for UCS sets, and I hope they continue to release them at a reasonable pace, every couple of years.

Maybe we can refer the UCS battle of Hoth or the Starwars Canteena as a example of miniature heavy UCS sets: 

 
Hoth: 15 figs + two large moulded animals 
Canteena: 21 figures plus a large moulded animal. Three new moulds for parts of alien figures. 

Original Helms Deep set: 8 figures + a horse

[mirkwoodspiders]

25 minutes ago, RichardGoring said:

How many figures would you need to make a satisfactory UCS Helm's Deep? Probably quite a lot.

And would LEGO put enough into it to make it feel right? Probably not.

The worry about a UCS Helm's Deep is that it would be really hard to get sufficient figures, so I'd hope they'd release a battle pack alongside it. Less likely, but still viable, would be to put the massable figures on PaB.

The nice thing about LotR is that there are a lot of great subjects for UCS sets, and I hope they continue to release them at a reasonable pace, every couple of years.

I thought about a battle pack as well. I remember the UCS AT-AT releasing with plenty of figs, but then a couple of months later the Hoth battle pack came out. I could easily see LEGO doing that with a Helm's Deep.
 

7 hours ago, Unknown Jedi Master said:

I don't think Minas Tirith is possible to do justice, and I am unsure of whether LEGO has confidence in an Edoras selling well. Making a huge Helm's Deep would make so much sense next year with the War of the Rohirrim movie coming out. I got the impression that the designers are looking to complete the theme by making sets we previously haven't gotten before doing remakes, but I think Helm's Deep or a bigger Bag End set would be the "safest" sets if LEGO still doesn't have full confidence in the theme selling well. 

Agreed on Minas Tirith. It's so hard to envision how they'd do it - UCS, microscale, system - none of them seem to make sense. But, they are brilliant at LEGO and could probably pull something off. I would say Helm's Deep and Bag End would be safer bets, yes. And, of course, I'd almost certainly buy them.

[wesker]

7 hours ago, Unknown Jedi Master said:

The GWP makes it a day one buy. Still haven't gotten Rivendell so better get going with that.

Yes, I definitely think more sets are being planned, and will be released if Darad-dûr is well received. 

I don't think Minas Tirith is possible to do justice, and I am unsure of whether LEGO has confidence in an Edoras selling well. Making a huge Helm's Deep would make so much sense next year with the War of the Rohirrim movie coming out. I got the impression that the designers are looking to complete the theme by making sets we previously haven't gotten before doing remakes, but I think Helm's Deep or a bigger Bag End set would be the "safest" sets if LEGO still doesn't have full confidence in the theme selling well. 

I don't think Edoras would have any problems selling well. Its one of the trilogy's more iconic locations and visually isn't that far off from the Viking Village Lego just released which is proving to be quite a popular set. I think Minas Tirith can be done well but it isn't going to be the kind of set that will please everyone.

I agree that Bag End and Helms Deep would be the safer options.
 

31 minutes ago, RichardGoring said:

The worry about a UCS Helm's Deep is that it would be really hard to get sufficient figures, so I'd hope they'd release a battle pack alongside it. Less likely, but still viable, would be to put the massable figures on PaB.

Another option could be the blister packs exclusive to Shop@Home and the Lego stores. If Lego aren't confident in giving LOTR normal retail sets just yet something like this could be a good alternative for the army builders.

2 minutes ago, mirkwoodspiders said:

Agreed on Minas Tirith. It's so hard to envision how they'd do it - UCS, microscale, system - none of them seem to make sense. But, they are brilliant at LEGO and could probably pull something off. I would say Helm's Deep and Bag End would be safer bets, yes. And, of course, I'd almost certainly buy them.

I assume they would go with a microscale exterior of the city along with a minifigure scaled interior in the back of the model. That seems to be the direction Barad-Dur is taking. I can't imagine the army builders would be too happy about that though.

[BrickBob Studpants]

1 hour ago, wesker said:

Another option could be the blister packs exclusive to Shop@Home and the Lego stores.

Except the last ones came out two years ago  I’m afraid they’re dead.

I doubt there’ll be any kind of LOTR sets for army building in general. If they planned on bringing the theme back properly, I think they already would have done so with Barad-dûr, which is instead still part of the Icons theme  Maybe next year, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up!

[MAB]

1 hour ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

Except the last ones came out two years ago  I’m afraid they’re dead.

I doubt there’ll be any kind of LOTR sets for army building in general. If they planned on bringing the theme back properly, I think they already would have done so with Barad-dûr, which is instead still part of the Icons theme  Maybe next year, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up!

Same here. I can't see LOTR accessory or battle packs coming when there is no LOTR theme. 

[RichardGoring]

I don't see why they can't make an Icons or 18+ small battle pack set. Especially as they're going to be doing a small GWP set, so where does that fit in the structure? And, they make up the rules, so they can add anyone they like to the icons lineup. A battle pack for LotR could easily be thought of as more adult if you wanted it to be, and could be fine with an all black box art style.

I'm not saying it's likely, but I don't think it's impossible because there is no dedicated theme.