REVIEW 79010 The Goblin King Battle

[Slobey]

Before I start this review I have to say that initially this set didn’t appeal to me. I seemed cobbled together and the Maxi-fig of the Goblin King seems a bit to “cartoony”. I found it on a Gumtree (Australian equivalent of Craigslist) for Au$90.00 so I thought I’d get it to complete my collection. Have I changed my mind? You’ll have to read on and find out….

Set Name: The Goblin King Battle

Set Number: 79010

Pieces: 795

Minifigs: 8

Price: €99,99 / Au$129.99 / US$99.99

Theme: The Hobbit

The Box:

The box is the same size as the LOTR Mines of Moria set and has a similar feeling to that set in a lot of ways. The front of the box depicts the part of Goblin Town that the set is built around with the dwarves and Gandalf engaged in battle with the Goblin King and his minions. The picture of the set is set against a scenic background depicting the misty mountains perhaps?

Box front by slobey79, on Flickr

In the bottom left corner there is a scrap of a map of Middle Earth against which the figures that are included in this set are shown.

box figs front by slobey79, on Flickr

I really like the way the back of the box depicts all the different play features of the set and I’ve included some close-ups of the different scenes.

box back by slobey79, on Flickr

box closeup2 by slobey79, on Flickr

box closeup3 by slobey79, on Flickr

box closeup4 by slobey79, on Flickr

box closeup6 by slobey79, on Flickr

box closeup1 by slobey79, on Flickr

The contents are wrapped up in 5 numbered bags as well as a small bag that contains the Goblin King

contents1 by slobey79, on Flickr

Maxifig by slobey79, on Flickr

Instructions are bagged with cardboard to stop creasing etc which is welcome. The bag contains the sticker-sheet as well 3 booklets: 2 larger size books and one smaller booklet which I found curious.

Instructions by slobey79, on Flickr

sticker sheet by slobey79, on Flickr

MINIFIGS

This set sees the inclusion of Ori, Nori & Dori from the company of Dwarves. All are unique to this set. Capes are included for Ori & Dori while Nori’s hair and beard are a single moulded piece. All three have very detailed torsos front & back and are recognisable as their movie character with the exception of Ori who is perhaps the weakest figure of all the dwarves IMO. All three also have dual sided head printing.

minifig dwarves front by slobey79, on Flickr

minifig dwarves back by slobey79, on Flickr

The Goblin King is included as a max fig similar to the troll from Mines of Moria and has similar range of arm and hand movement. It also has the ability to hold spears etc and also minifigs by he legs. Gandalf is nothing new with the same printing/colors as previous incarnations

minifigs king front by slobey79, on Flickr

minifig king back by slobey79, on Flickr

minfig king comparison by slobey79, on Flickr

Each Goblin has a different torso print which make each one a unique figure. All have dual sided faces although like the Moria Orcs the difference is barely noticeable. (the center fig has the alternate expression). The head piece is made from softer plastic and each one is bagged separately.

minifig goblins front by slobey79, on Flickr

minifig goblins back by slobey79, on Flickr

THE BUILD

Bag 1 Contents:

bag1 contents by slobey79, on Flickr

Bag 1 in progress

bag1 in prog by slobey79, on Flickr

Bag 1 complete

bag 1 complete by slobey79, on Flickr

Bag 2 Contents

bag2 contents by slobey79, on Flickr

Bag 3 Contents:

bag3 contents by slobey79, on Flickr

Bag 2 & 3 Complete

Bag 2 and 3 complete by slobey79, on Flickr

Goblin King cage feature:

cage trigger1 by slobey79, on Flickr

cage trigger2 by slobey79, on Flickr

Bag 4 Contents:

bag4 contents by slobey79, on Flickr

Trigger mechanism for the ladder and bridge:

bridge trigger by slobey79, on Flickr

Complete Set:

complete1 by slobey79, on Flickr

I did notice a few color variations particularly with the reddish brown plates:

bag1 colour by slobey79, on Flickr

Design:7/10 I appreciate this set design more after seeing the movie, I think the designers captured the feel of Goblin Town and added some cool features to keep kids and AFOLs happy. The inculusion of BURPs and LURPs didn’t take away from the look of the set and were “dressed up” quite well

Parts:6/10 Not too many unique parts, the olive green 2x1 plates the only that come to mind. There are a lot of dark grey and brown parts.

Build: 6/10 It was not the most enjoyable build I’ve done for a while and felt quite repetitive toward the end with all the rock landscaping.

Minifigs 9/10 All the figures are unique, the dwarves look fantastic and I’m really impressed with Lego for giving each goblin a unique torso when they could have quite easily given them the same one. The Goblin King is a good likeness to the movie counterpart. Only marks are off for another Gandalf the Grey, but that can’t be helped I guess.

Playability 7/10 There are a lot of play features included which have been covered in this review making it a great set for youngsters and adults alike.

Price 6/10 At $20 US more than the Mines of Moria it does seem quite pricey. MoM has about 60 less pieces but a similar box size, fig count and feel. Pick it up on sale.

Total:41/60 or 68% This set surprised me a bit. I didn’t think I’d like it as much as I do and I think the change in my attitude changed was due to seeing the Goblin Town scene in the Hobbit movie. The set has some flaws but overall is worth buying on discount after you’ve acquired the others from the line.

[Speedboat]

Thanks for the review, Slobey! This set is one of two of the theme I'm still missing and I had initially planned to buy it in January, but there are a few other great sets on sale at the moment in my area, so I'll probably wait a while before buying this one. I don't really know yet what to make of the set yet. The minifigs seem to be very nice and I definitely want the full company of dwarves at some point plus the pieces look usefull for a lot of MOCs. But I guess these are the main reasons to buy this set at some point, at least for me. I don't even know if I would assemble it, even if the design looks pretty cool. It's just that I think other sets from this wave, especially the Hobbit hole, are nicer sets to put on display.

[large88]

I skipped a few sets and simply bought their figs on BL. But this one I am planning to buy. I can always use more brown pieces for landscaping and trees Great review!

[mpaisana]

This set and Attack of the Wargs are the sets I'm more apprehensive about. But again, I thought the same about the Attack of the Mirkwood spiders and I liked it a lot. I'll wait a bit and slash the price some 25% or 30%. Great review Slobey!

[Faefrost]

Another set I am very mixed on. I have it. I like it. But as the big showpiece set of the release it lacks something. The central Goblin King throne is fantastic, and by itself it is a marvelous display piece. (Bags 2 and 3). The left hand section of the build with the bridge is somewhat interesting and has some decent play features. The Right hand armo of the set is completely and utterly pointless and worthless (all of bag one). It could have been left out and no one would bemoan its absence at almost a $20 cost reduction. The set suffers horribly from the feeling that nothing actually connects. The Minifigs are still great as is the Goiter King, err Goblin King.

[Teh Stud]

I am not a fan of the Goblin King. Not in the movie, and not in the set. Where in the Hobbit does it say he is the size of an ogre?

Would of much rather had another normal sized goblin with a crown. Any ways...

[SheepEater]

Here is the official Alan Lee picture from the book.

Goblin King Picture Link.

Edited January 12, 2013 by SheepEater
Pic is too big to post here! Changed to link.

[Ferrik]

This set looks very detailed, but there are some issues. I agree with the goblin face looking a bit too cartoonish, but hey some people like it so I won't complain. The goblin head pieces are great to make them look more complete and there seems to be a few great play features which are always nice to have.

[Sigolf Brimabane]

Is it really 795 pieces? I've read elsewhere that it is 841 pieces :0 841 or 795 is almost a 50 pieces difference. I've almost made up my mind to buy this and Attack of the Wargs (despite its bad price per piece ratio)...

[Slobey]

Is it really 795 pieces? I've read elsewhere that it is 841 pieces :0 841 or 795 is almost a 50 pieces difference.

According to Bricklink it's 795

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?S=79010-1

[Sigolf Brimabane]

According to Bricklink it's 795

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?S=79010-1

How strange... Maybe the other places count every part of the minifigs and bricklink does not... Since it is 8 figs the parts of them might be that difference there.

[Brickmamba]

Thanks for the early review, will probably skip and BL the goblin king

[kinggregus]

Thanks a lot for this great review. This set looks so great in terms of parts. There are so many useful pieces. Plus, the play features look kind of cool. However, I am surprised they chose the Goblin's cave as the flagship set. Also, it looks quite awkward that the elements are not connected one to another.

[Missing Brick]

Thanks for the review. I think this set could best be described as 'a mess'. I will be skipping it with no regrets. I bought every set from the first LOTR wave - but so far only Bag End from this wave. I'm quite happy to save my money for Orthanc or a future Minas Tirith set.

[brodey1]

I got this for about $70 off Amazon. Great figures, a great parts pack for landscape builders, lots of earth tones.

[shadowhearth]

I got this for about $70 off Amazon. Great figures, a great parts pack for landscape builders, lots of earth tones.

I got it for 60eu delivered myself and for that price this is a fantastic set. A great display set if you ask me.

I know there are some negative looks at this set and I think it is more due to value for money. No way I would pay 99eu asked for it, but to 60eu its a golden spot.

Edited February 1, 2013 by shadowhearth

[Aedai Rivin]

Just got it today for $66 with my mother. When she saw the price and save ($35 less) she nearly ripped it off the shelf and put it in the cart. XD

Love the set, especially with the extra value it has at the new price point. Love the dwarves and goblins, especially the Goblin King.

[SheepEater]

Before I start this review I have to say that initially this set didn’t appeal to me. I seemed cobbled together

Precisely what I thought as well. I only bought it after I saw it on sale.

But in my very first build, it's "cobbled together" flaw inspired me to incorporate hinges right into the build to connect everything together. As a result I had more fun building this set than the rest of the hobbit line

http://www.eurobrick...=80391&hl=79010

http://www.flickr.co...964105876/show/

Edited September 8, 2013 by SheepEater

[naf]

Great review. At first I was only going to get 'An Unexpected Gathering' from this theme, but after reading up on some reviews of the rest of the sets they're all growing on me. I love the figures, I haven't seen a LotR or Hobbit minifig I didn't like. I do wish the goblin king had a studded head like the Moria troll has, so that the crown could be a separate piece. Having the crown built into the figure limits it to just being the goblin king. I really like how they built the rope bridge instead of using the plastic molded one: http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/2549

This set does a decent job of representing the goblin city in Lego form given the typical constraints, but it looks a bit boring due to all the repetitive brown and grey colors, stone structures, etc. It's really just one stone and wood platform after another. The action sequence looks great in the film (despite the fact that Peter Jackson decided the laws of physics don't apply in Middle Earth), but it doesn't translate that great to a full Lego set.

I think they missed an opportunity with The Hobbit theme by making this the largest set in the first wave. I think they should have made Bag-End the big set, and fleshed it out a bit more than the current set does. However, this is from an AFOL perspective, and you can't cram too many play features into a hobbit hole ("Uncle Bilbo, why did you install those flick fire missiles?" "To keep those dirty Sacksville Baggins' away, my dear Frodo. You cannot be too careful"). I think this set would be a lot better if they had just used the goblin king's throne part of the set and scrapped the rest.

Edited September 16, 2013 by naf

[Timoonn]

well, I bought a MISB one at 35 € (-65%). I hope this is a good deal

Edited December 5, 2013 by Timoonn