LOTR & The Hobbit 2013 Set Discussion

[Slobey]

I think the reaction to this wave is a bit premature, we need to see the final set with figs, piece count etc to make a rational judgement.

I also think the "we didn't get this or didn't get that" reaction needs to be tempered with the realisation that we will most certainly get more waves of LOTR Lego. It makes no sense for them to release all the iconic scenes/locations in the 1st two waves and then fill in the rest of the line with sideline stuff. I'm pretty sure we will get things like the Balrog and Treebeard eventually.....

My 2c worth....

[Faefrost]

Most obviously Council of Elrond will be a Toysrus exclusive

I don't think store or Lego exclusives show up in the catalog these pics come from. So the fact that it is there generally means its not exclusive to anyone.

I also think the "we didn't get this or didn't get that" reaction needs to be tempered with the realisation that we will most certainly get more waves of LOTR Lego.

After 12 years they are still missing a lot of iconic Star Wars related scenes. And let's not forget the stuff that got left out of Harry Potter.

[dwarf-brik]

I agree that most people can't buy two or more big sets. But even if people would buy 4-5 battlepacks at 10$ a pop, im sure TLG makes a bigger profit of the sale of just one of the larger sets $100 sets. I mean, im sure there are alot of fans that just want the figs, so if TLG released the best figs in small sets then those fans wouldn't even have to mess with anything high dollar. I have no proof but im sure its cheaper for lego to make normal one colored building bricks than it is for them to make minifigs, especially licensed. Just because certain people buy more cheaper sets doesn't mean it would be more profitable because it would definitely cut inti the amount of big sets being sold.

I see what you're trying to say, BUT, here is where I disagree: if you look at the situation from the perspective of an AFoL, you'd expect people to buy multiple big sets if they want multiple figures. This isn't unreasonable; most AFoLs are employed, and many have high-paying jobs. However, AFoLs are a small fraction of the total Lego audience. The majority of Lego buyers are adults who give Lego as gifts to the children in their lives. I have a hard time seeing Grandma buying Timmy mutiple Corsair sets just because he wants more Dead. Non-AFoL adults find Lego overpriced as-is. I can easily however, see Grandma buying Timmy the Corsair set and a couple of Army of The Dead battlepacks, which equals more $$$ for TLG. Just spend some time hanging out and listening to the adults in the Lego aisle of any major store such as Target or Wal-Mart and you'll see what I mean.

Also, not all AFoLs can afford to buy multiple big sets just for a coupla' extra minifigs. Those minifigs will make it on to the second-hand market, but at grossely inflated prices. The Uruk-Hai Berserker, for example, usually carries a price tag of $10-$15 on Bricklink, which is an insane price for most people, AFoL and non-AFoL alike.

~Dwarf

Edited December 27, 2012 by dwarf-brik

[djmangunz]

While I really like all the sets, especially the Harbor Attack or whatever it is called, I can't help but be a trifle disappointed with the Rivendale offering. I love the minifigures, Elrond for the win baby! The set is just lacking in size. While I realize that Rivendale isn't the site of any battles, hence decreasing the desirability of it with Lego's targeted audience ie. boys 8-12, deep down I would like to believe that Lego creates sets just for me and they had to know how much I was looking forward to a Rivendale. The number of sets is kind of worrisome too. We know that Lego plans their sets years in advance and I am sure this has less to do with how the sets are selling and more that they are making more shelf room for the upcoming castle sets, but only four (five with the inevitable TRU/Target exclusive) makes Mangunz a sad boy. That being said, does anyone else think the LOTR sets are so much better than the Hobbit sets?

[YangHao6998]

Still hoping for the Balrog and Treebeard sets.....

[TheLegoDr]

Thank you for the pictures. I've been wanting to see these. I will definitely pick them all up. more Elves, yes please. Most excited for mouth of Sauron and Aragorn in Gondor attire. I am interested to see piece count and prices when they are released, but I will buy these regardless.

[Ardelon]

Im pretty disappointed by the lack of Corsairs (I assume the bad guys in the Ship set are Orcs, since on the box they look the same as the figs on the Black Gate box). I actually thought the rumor of 12 figs for the ship set was inflated; I expected Aragorn (but no Legolas or Gimli, which could have been put in other sets), the King of the Dead and two (un)dead soldiers (as came true), and 2-3 Corsairs. But it looks like TLG included Legolas and Gimli at the expense of the Corsairs.

The Black Gate looks cool, The WIzard Battle looks pretty unimpressive, but could be a good way to get both wizards. I was expecting less gray and more tan in Rivendell. The elven-figs should be great, though.

Hopefully, there are more sets, like the Balrog or something with Gondorian soldiers. If not, maybe some Hobbit sets, or is TLG splitting this wave between LotR and Castle?

I wouldnt expect any battle packs just yet, as jhc2nmfn explained above.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Ardelon

[Fives]

Wow! I would count these pics as a great late Christmas gift! All of these sets look amazing!

My initial opinions:

Wizard Battle- while it isn't a full Orthanc, we still get Saruman, which is a much have figure! Also, this allows for a future Orthanc with Ents.

Council of Elrond- the set itself, while not super exciting, is very visually and aesthetically pleasing, and will make a fantastic display piece. Unfortunately, it looks like we get another Gimli, but Arwen, a red-robed Elrond and possibly a Rivendell Frodo (yet, at the Council, he was in full outfit) greatly make up for it. Also, I really hope we get a one handed elf sword, much akin to Elrond's sword in the film, Hadhafang.

Black Gate- AMAZING! The best of the group, I think. It has a much needed and desired Gandalf the White, Aragorn in his kingly attire, and the one mini figure that I hoped LEGO would make but feared would never actually become plastic: The Mouth of Sauron. Just fantastic. And to top it all off, it looks like we get two Mordor orcs in armour! The gate part itself looks good for the scale, but I do believe that they have mushed the Black Gate and Barad-Dûr into a single set. And while that's a bit annoying and looks cramped, it allows for a play feature that is ridiculously essential to the scene: drawing Sauron's gaze. Although it looks cramped, I love the fact that LEGO went to the effort to do that.

Corsair Ship- Ok, I'm not really a huge fan of LEGO pirate ships. While they look cool, they don't add a ton of value to my collection. That being said, this ship looks amazing! The reason is that its from LOTR! Plus, the fig selection is great! The King and soldiers of the Dead will become great additions to any army. Aragorn and Gimli are getting stale to me, but they are necessary for the scene. And Legolas has only had one other LOTR appearance. Also, it looks like we get two Mordor armored orcs, and what could be a Corsair or another Orc. Can't quite tell.

Now, these are obviously all prelim pictures. But, the minifig line ups on the boxes are final versions of the figures. The ones on the artwork are prelim. It was the same for the first LOTR wave. So look to the line ups to get a bit of a better sense of what the figs will be like. Also, the corner of the box now features the Eye of Sauron instead of the Ring on his finger.

And lastly, if these are all of the LOTR sets coming out next year, then I have two greatly opposing views towards this. 1) LEGO is hiding something. Perhaps they are planning a large exclusive set and are keeping it under heavy wraps. Or 2) LOTR hasn't become as popular as The Hobbit sets, or has just underperformed unlike LEGO and all us fans had hoped. I really want the answer to be the former of the two, and if that is the case, then I would want some more smaller sets, battle packs and army builders, and possibly one Two Towers set.

But it is still December. We will get a full sense of what LEGO has in store for us in the coming year when the January NY Toy Fair rolls around and we get some good, up close pics of the sets and figs. We have gotten our prelims, and that alone gives a lot to the discussion, but I think I'm not gonna speculate too much on LEGO's further intentions with this wave, on whether this is it or there is more, and just leave it and see what happens.

[TheLegoDr]

I agree that Aragorn and Gimli are getting a bit stale, but since the films followed them around so much, it's tough not to include them in some pivotal scenes. Now if they could somehow incorporate different prints then it would work fine. However, if you are into MOCing armies, then Gimli's torso actually looks quite nice and could be used for something else. Add that with Eomer's (because we all have spares) and then a few of the Dwarves from The Hobbit that had dark red torsos and you have a nice little rag-tag group. As cool as Aragorn was in the movies, his minifigures is the Harry Potter of the theme. But the rest of the figures look amazing, from what I can tell. Three dead soldiers is awesome. I'll always welcome some more orcs, especially with some variety.

Looking at the pictures again, it definitely does resemble some dark orange leaves in the Elrond photo, but can't be certain on such a small scale.

[pranas]

Feeling a little meh about this line up. I feel there aren't enough "iconic" scenes. The only one that feels that way is the Wizard Duel and maaaaaybe Riverdale. Maybe. I know they can't do ALL iconic scenes in the first few waves if they want this line to last a while, but it really seems like these sets are out of left field. I figured they'd eventually get to the ship, but didn't think they'd get to it as early as the second wave.

Maybe I'm also being thrown off by the fact there are only four sets so it doesn't feel like a full wave. It also makes me a little worried that LEGO maybe didnt give it a full wave because it doesn't have enough faith that the LotR line will do that well.

Maybe there are still some exclusives in this wave yet to be revealed! Fingers crossed for a Treebeard! I really, really, really want a Treebeard someday...

[Lordof theBricks]

This is how I expected we will get:

The wizard battle-the same as it is

Council of Elrond- Elrond assumed,Gloin old,Boromir,some elves

Battle at the Black Gate-Aragorn in gondorian armor,Gandalf the white,Mouth of Sauron,Gondorian soldier,Merry in Rohirrim armor,Pippin in Gondorian armor,Olog-Hai,2x Mordor armor orcs

The Pirate ship-the same as ot is

:)

[Pumpkin Pie]

*snip*

*snip*

Personally I am a bit disappointed. Nothing Gondor themed at all, no battle packs, and only 4 sets? What a let down. If you are only gonna do 4 sets at least make one a huge Minas Tirith. I really hope there is at least one medium sized set that's an exclusive or D2C set. Are these generally not shown with the rest of a wave? As for the sets shown they do look decent but other than the Wizard Duel none really seem like huge scenes from the movies (compared to what they could of done.. Balrog battle, Ent attack, Minas Tirith, etc). It looks like a $10, 30-40, 60-80, and $100-130 price range for these sets?

Im really sad. Waaay too many gandalfs.I hate the Idea of the corsair ship over isengard. still no Orthanc. The council set is just waaay too boring. No witch king. no gondor. Is anyone else this disapointed?

I would love some Gondor figs as well. Bugger.

Still, the sets look nice though so will definitely be buying.

Guess the limit of 4 sets is to allow for some hobbit sets as well.

Guys just think about these four sets. why would TLG do this? They are not using a perfectly good chance to make money. Also, look at the TWO star wars sets. Again, why would TLG just give us two sets?

I mostly just want you guys to realize that this is probably just one page of the LOTR LEGO section in the retailers catalog. Just think through these things in a smart way.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Pumpkin Pie

[Mahtion]

I was thinking the same actually, TLG would never release only two SW sets in a single wave. We should look forward to seeing more in LOTR this wave as well.

[gundamz]

Yeah, the original rumor was that there would be 8 LotR sets, which makes more sense.

[Lordof theBricks]

GUYS,PLEASE NOTICE: I think that thise are just Lotr sets,I believe that we will see also maybe 4 of The Hobbit sets,because both of them are making the same Lego team,soo,these are just Lotr sets,I believe at the summer also upcoming The Hobbit sets :)

maybe:

-Eagles nest

-Escape from trolls.....

[Galaxy Explorer]

In 2006 there were only two Star Wars sets released that summer- the Sail Barge and the ISD. The UCS At-ST came out that Fall. I think. Back on topic, I'm perfectly fine with less sets being released. The Pirate Ship set looks nice, but I was a little surprised to see it. If I were planning a LOTR line I doubt that would be very high on my list. I'm very excited about the Black Gate set- looking forward to the Mouth of Sauron figure!

All in all, this summer wave looks very good and I will be happy to add all of them to my collection!

[pathas]

Hi guys,

I´m new one here. But I´m really happy for new LOTR sets

The LOTR sets was reason that i came back to lego and passed my "dark ages"

I got all LOTR and hobbit sets and multiple times.

To topic: I think that we don´t see new hobbit sets in this summer. We should be happy for this 4 new sets, because it´s look like new castle theme is more ready than Lotr, so MAYBE LOTR sequel was not planned. Maybe unexpected success change the things

Speculation of course.

[Duke of wellington]

http://www.flickr.co...57632347188995/

Lego lotr 2013 pics

-Four new epic sets

Edited December 27, 2012 by Duke of wellington

[wesker]

GUYS,PLEASE NOTICE: I think that thise are just Lotr sets,I believe that we will see also maybe 4 of The Hobbit sets,because both of them are making the same Lego team,soo,these are just Lotr sets,I believe at the summer also upcoming The Hobbit sets :)

maybe:

-Eagles nest

-Escape from trolls.....

The rumoured Eagles Nest set is actually the Black Gate set.

Rumoured list on dutch shop

79005 Frodo and Ring Wraith

79006 ???

79007 Eagles Nest

79008 Pirate Ship

http://www.groovebri...-on-dutch-shop/

Leaked pics

79005 The Wizard Battle

79006 The Council of Elrond

79007 Battle at the Black Gate

79008 Pirate Ship Ambush

[Brickviller]

Not to sound stupid or anything but a lot of people complain the're is no Balrog/Witch-king/something else set, and think these sets won't be released. However they also showed just two sets of Star Wars, but that really does not mean we only get two sets of that line. It's probaly the photographer didn't have time, or did not pay attention to the other sets....

[Hive]

Those upcoming sets looks to be amazing, judging by the admittedly tiny pics. And a new pirate ship! Yay!

[Brinstar]

I didn't have particularly high hopes for the new LOTR sets. I found the first wave a little disappointing (apart from the excellent Helms Deep). Without wanting to draw to many conclusions from the small pictures, these sets look very promising indeed, particularly the Pirate Ship Ambush set which I simply cannot wait for.

[Hive]

I didn't have particularly high hopes for the new LOTR sets. I found the first wave a little disappointing (apart from the excellent Helms Deep). Without wanting to draw to many conclusions from the small pictures, these sets look very promising indeed, particularly the Pirate Ship Ambush set which I simply cannot wait for.

Indeed. My only fear is that it's expensive as hell, given the absurd amount of minifigs it seems to include....

[General Magma]

Not to sound stupid or anything but a lot of people complain the're is no Balrog/Witch-king/something else set, and think these sets won't be released. However they also showed just two sets of Star Wars, but that really does not mean we only get two sets of that line. It's probaly the photographer didn't have time, or did not pay attention to the other sets....

Problem is, Brickset only has these 4 sets listed.

The rumor was 8 sets, yes, but the rumored list that came with it also told us there would be a larger Orthanc set.

However, why would they release an Orthanc tower set and another set containing a bit of the interior of it in one wave?

[Kez]

Yes them lotr 2013 sets look awesome, I'm glad that they've included a mouth of sauron figure in the black gate set, this wave looks like there's going to be a hole in my wallet