LEGO LotR - general discussion

[BrickBob Studpants]

Too bad the LOTR theme seems to be over, hopefully TLG has something in store for us to bridge the void (D2C Smaug ) as I really don't want to wait almost a year for new Middle-Earth sets

[Deathleech]

So, the theme is basically confirmed dead.

Nothing is remotely confirmed, things just seem to indicate there won't be another LotR wave. The fact we haven't heard anything about the summer wave doesn't really mean anything considering we haven't heard on ANY of the summer 2014 Lego sets. I find it hard to believe the Lego Movie sets would of knocked out the LotR theme in the summer. I feel like the Lego movie is going to be a one and done line. They did a HUGE push with the movie's release and that will be it. That's why we had so many sets for it, they wanted to capitalize on all the hype. I mean sure we might get another wave when the movie is released on DVD, but I doubt it.

As it stands the biggest indicator about a future LotR wave is the advertisement in the back of the second wave Hobbit sets. Usually we get a LotR advertisement, but we didn't this year. Why not? Nothing has really changed, Lego knew full well there was going to be another Hobbit wave a year later even with wave 1, but despite this they advertised for the NEXT Middle-Earth wave in each set last year. Even when there was a LotR video game taking up advertisement in the first LotR wave Lego still hinted at the game and the next Hobbit wave.

[Alcarin]

Nothing is remotely confirmed, things just seem to indicate there won't be another LotR wave. The fact we haven't heard anything about the summer wave doesn't really mean anything considering we haven't heard on ANY of the summer 2014 Lego sets. I find it hard to believe the Lego Movie sets would of knocked out the LotR theme in the summer. I feel like the Lego movie is going to be a one and done line. They did a HUGE push with the movie's release and that will be it. That's why we had so many sets for it, they wanted to capitalize on all the hype. I mean sure we might get another wave when the movie is released on DVD, but I doubt it.

As it stands the biggest indicator about a future LotR wave is the advertisement in the back of the second wave Hobbit sets. Usually we get a LotR advertisement, but we didn't this year. Why not? Nothing has really changed, Lego knew full well there was going to be another Hobbit wave a year later even with wave 1, but despite this they advertised for the NEXT Middle-Earth wave in each set last year. Even when there was a LotR video game taking up advertisement in the first LotR wave Lego still hinted at the game and the next Hobbit wave.

Yep without the advertisment on the back of instructions of wave 2 for Hobbit that is the strongest hint of NO MORE LOTR....

Thats a safe assumption looking to the past.... it can be different this time however unlikely....

[BlueberryWaffles]

I still think that the last Hobbit wave will be summer 2014 because the movie was going to be in July but they moved it, and Lego didn't want to move the release date.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Tolkien

[deskp]

I still think that the last Hobbit wave will be summer 2014 because the movie was going to be in July but they moved it, and Lego didn't want to move the release date.

THE MOVE TO DECEMBER HAPPENED AGES AGO.

[SirBlake]

I refuse to believe that we won't get a third wave. Maybe I'm being naive, but I just can't see Lego stopping short and ignoring so much of the trilogy (Gondor).

I understand bailing on an underperforming property (assuming it is underperforming, nobody really knows), but failure to deliver a third wave would be a black mark on TLGs record, IMO.

[dr jones]

I was thinking (again):

Isn't it very likely that we'll get a LOTR/Hobbit book, with an exclusive character?

[coolguy2323]

So, the theme is basically confirmed dead.

I find it very unlikely that they would release another wave of LOTR sets in conjunction with the last Hobbit movie (since they're already going to release like, atleast 5 Hobbit sets, there's way too many to release like 10 sets due to one movie)

No, but this post is a confirmed overreaction.

I think there is way too much doom and gloom around here. Lego would be silly not to just finish the wave off. We already have Orthanc and a Minas Tirith set would for sure sell better, I can't see Lego not doing one last wave to get stuff like the Witch-King and the Balrog in.

[Deathleech]

I think there is way too much doom and gloom around here. Lego would be silly not to just finish the wave off. We already have Orthanc and a Minas Tirith set would for sure sell better, I can't see Lego not doing one last wave to get stuff like the Witch-King and the Balrog in.

Yes, it seems completely silly, especially considering all the missed opportunities in the last LotR wave. I'm just worried with all the negative reports we have (yes most are local shops or friends of friends so take them for what they are), and no advertisement in this year's Hobbit wave (when we have had an advertisement the last three waves), Lego might of pulled the plug and ended the line prematurely. If sales were bad enough they easily could of dropped any further LotR plans. The fact the last wave was extremely lackluster can't really help matters.

[General Magma]

No, but this post is a confirmed overreaction.

I think there is way too much doom and gloom around here. Lego would be silly not to just finish the wave off. We already have Orthanc and a Minas Tirith set would for sure sell better, I can't see Lego not doing one last wave to get stuff like the Witch-King and the Balrog in.

Indeed, if LEGO decides to drop the theme without having released Minas Tirith (or anything from Gondor including its own soldiers) at all, somebody at LEGO must've lost their mind.

It would be a terrible decision to drop the theme, and not only for us buyers who would hate to see the plug pulled for it half-finished (so to speak), but also for LEGO's own sales.

I don't know how well the most recent LOTR wave sold, but they weren't quite what I would call "iconic scenes"... sure, there was the Black Gate and Rivendell, but in comparison to Gondor, Balrog, Treebeard, Witch-king, etc. sets, last wave's sets are pretty much nothing.

Add to that the fact that the previous wave only had 4 sets (excluding Orthanc, which most kids just can't afford either way),

LEGO should be able to realize that a third wave with many of the desired things would sell very well.

Throw in a set with the Witch-king and Éowyn, a nice Minas Tirith-based set with some new orcs, trolls and Gondorian soldiers (don't forget Faramir, preferably in ranger attire),

add a Balrog to the mix, perhaps Treebeard with new named orc Grishnakh, and whatever set they may want to add next (maybe a battlepack would be nice, an add-on to Minas Tirith, I would say).

Especially if they decide to add in new and updated minifigs for some, and not the same old Mordor orc design we've seen a thousand times by now.

I don't think they can excite anyone with those "old" orcs anymore, and they missed the boat on having lots of variation for those... so far. Can they redeem that?

Either way, I'm keeping my optimism up and hoping that they won't pull the plug so prematurely, that they will use their senses to not get rid of it so early, for all the fans but for them more importantly the sales, and that the final sets (and figures) will justify the theme's potential.

Edited December 30, 2013 by General Magma

[coolguy2323]

Yes, it seems completely silly, especially considering all the missed opportunities in the last LotR wave. I'm just worried with all the negative reports we have (yes most are local shops or friends of friends so take them for what they are), and no advertisement in this year's Hobbit wave (when we have had an advertisement the last three waves), Lego might of pulled the plug and ended the line prematurely. If sales were bad enough they easily could of dropped any further LotR plans. The fact the last wave was extremely lackluster can't really help matters.

I liked the last wave, actually thought it was better than the 1st.

[Blazej_Holen]

I liked the last wave, actually thought it was better than the 1st.

Better?

[atreyu2112]

I can't see them ending LotR now either. You KNOW there will be another Hobbit wave to coincide with either the game or the final movie. So that leaves a long gap between releases. I am sure we will get a 3rd wave between now and the next Hobbit wave.

And, to not release the Balrog, Treebeard, Witch King/Fell Beast and a couple Gondor/Minas Tirith sets (ala Uruk Hai Army & Helms Deep) would be FOLLY. Why...

1 - These are the sets that will SELL SELL SELL!!!!!!!

2 - These are the sets that will satisfy fans/collectors

3 - These are the sets that will round out/complete the theme. If they decide to end LotR after them, I doubt many would complain

If you search forums and articles back to the announcement of this theme (Hobbit/LotR) ... the BALROG has been the #1 most speculated/wanted set! Since wave 2 hit, Treebeard, Witch King/Fell Beast & Gondor/Minas Tirith have been the #2 most speculated/wanted sets.

Sure, I wouldn't mind Amon-hen, Mirror of Galadriel & Defence of Osgiliath... as long as I knew the 5 sets listed above were definitely coming. Otherwise, drop them and just release the 5 sets listed above.

My thoughts on wave 2...

The Black Gate was a great choice, and a great set.

The Wizard Battle - a cool set for $12, but since we got Orthanc also, this should have been The Mirror of Galadriel instead.

The Council of Elrond - again, a cool set and I'm happy to have it. But really more for the collector. Like getting the Death Star Conference room instead of the Detention Level Escape. This should have been the Treebeard Encounter, especially to coincide with Orthanc.

Pirate Ship Ambush - Very cool set, but it's not nearly as iconic as other RotK scenes, and it's a very short scene. At this price point, we should have gotten a serious Osgiliath set or a Minas Tirith set, or even an Oliphant! Honestly my only interest in this set is The King of the Dead & 2 Soldiers of the Dead minifigs. Easy pass for me & a weak release. I don't think anyone would have missed this if they never released it.

[Deathleech]

I liked the last wave, actually thought it was better than the 1st.

Really? Why? The first wave had so much going for it. It had almost double the amount of sets so there were more options, the scenes were more iconic as a whole and seemed better built, and there weren't near as many figure rehashes (though admittedly this was because it was the first wave). The second wave was just so meh. Wizard Battle and Council of Elrond were cool, except the Council set had more Gimli and Frodo rehashes. Black Gates was a nice iconic set, but it was little more than a black wall and Lego advertised buying two yet had a horrible minifigure selection if you did buy that many. The Pirate Ship Ambush was the big flagship set and yet it was based on a scene not even in the films 10 minutes, even in the extended editions. The Mordor Orcs in all the sets were the same we got in the first wave but with Uruk-hai armor. Of the 20 minifigures in the wave, only 11 were new or variants (and that's counting things like Gandalf with hair).

[Cammo]

I sense a curse... of the black pearl. Seriously, these reactions remind me of the PotC forum 3 years ago.

I want pintel & ragetti ~ I want galadriel and witch king

I hope for a D2C Flying dutchman ~ I hope for a D2C Minas Tirith.

'One more wave and all essential scenes are covered!'

I sure hope it continues because it will be the 2nd time a theme quits that I started collecting 100%...

[legofreak86]

To be quite honest I would not be surprised if LOTR did not continue in 2014. I mean with the hobbit game coming out and the next movie surely hobbit sets are Lego's priority this year. The last movie will no doubt draw a large audience as the last in a trilogy usually does due to tying up loose ends and in this case a final battle for the heroes. As someone else mentioned with the gam coming in the summer and TABA not released until the winter Lego will need something hobbit to promote the game and build anticipation my guess would be a Smaug exclusive maybe in the range of £90 like the black pearl from POTC and the Peru carrier plane was for Indiana jones. Or it might be a wave of sets based on AUJ and DOS to fill in gaps shown off in the videogame. Then in the winter Lego pulls out all the stops for TABA and gives us a six set wave to round off the trilogy then closer to the blu ray release of TABA an orthanc style erebor exclusive. So due to it being their only licensed movie line this year (other than their own film) they focus on that rather than LOTR. That is my prediction of events.

[Darth Punk]

Except PoTC is no where as good as LoTR. Nor does it have the same kind of following.

PoTC's curse was it should have stopped after 2 movies.

[Skystorm87]

I own Orthanc and the Helm's deep set with the Uruk-hai army expansion and I think lego really did not very well with the marketing of the lord of the rings. Offering very expensive sets with only few non main character minifigs can be a good choice for star wars but not for LOTR where one needs a lot of soldiers and orcs to create nice battles. This is true not only for collectors, but also for children. Many times at the lego shops I have seen children asking the mother to buy the classic castle because it was easier to get normal soldiers.

I would have personally bought other sets like the Black gate but, really, what can I do with tons of Gandals and aragorns and none soldiers? I think I invest quite a lot of my savings in Lego and I am kind of disappointed the way they manage these sets. They just cannot sell a lot, the way they made it!

It will be very sad not to have a Minas Tirith set or a Balrog, or Sauron's tower.

[BlueberryWaffles]

I sense a curse... of the black pearl. Seriously, these reactions remind me of the PotC forum 3 years ago.

I want pintel & ragetti ~ I want galadriel and witch king

I hope for a D2C Flying dutchman ~ I hope for a D2C Minas Tirith.

'One more wave and all essential scenes are covered!'

I sure hope it continues because it will be the 2nd time a theme quits that I started collecting 100%...

*GASP* Woah, you're right! It's exactly like POTC was!

They just needed one more wave...

Edited December 31, 2013 by Tolkien

[SheepEater]

Well, I always like to put a positive spin on all things.

LOTR Lego will never die. It existed long before Lego got the official license ( I saw MOCs as early as 2002) and will continue to exist long after, thanks for MOCing.

It's unfortunate about Faramir, Eowyn, Witch King and Gondor soldiers... but all those minifigs are relatively easy to make more or less the same as in the videogame, aside for the special gondor helmet (2008 crownies are cheap on bricklink and are good enough IMHO) and witch king crown.

As long as people keep interest in the terrific story, book or movies, LOTR will always remain an official Lego theme, even without any new sets, still alive and being talked about. :)

Those kids who did not get those sets today, once they see the movies/book when they're older, they're the ones who will REALLY feel the pain of missing out on this short lived but great theme. Mark my words, if 2 waves is all we get these few LOTR sets we've got will be worth a fortune in 4-5 years.

And yes, I agree that Lego put ZERO effort in marketing the theme (compared to even The Hobbit)

Edited December 31, 2013 by SheepEater

[The_Chosen_1]

I just hold out hope that Lego keeps a pulse on fan opinion like this. If the theme is indeed ending, then a D2C Minas Tirith set would satisfy a lot of fans and help mitigate a lot of ill will should the LOTR theme come to an unfortunate and premature end.

[Alcarin]

Really? Why? The first wave had so much going for it. It had almost double the amount of sets so there were more options, the scenes were more iconic as a whole and seemed better built, and there weren't near as many figure rehashes (though admittedly this was because it was the first wave). The second wave was just so meh. Wizard Battle and Council of Elrond were cool, except the Council set had more Gimli and Frodo rehashes. Black Gates was a nice iconic set, but it was little more than a black wall and Lego advertised buying two yet had a horrible minifigure selection if you did buy that many. The Pirate Ship Ambush was the big flagship set and yet it was based on a scene not even in the films 10 minutes, even in the extended editions. The Mordor Orcs in all the sets were the same we got in the first wave but with Uruk-hai armor. Of the 20 minifigures in the wave, only 11 were new or variants (and that's counting things like Gandalf with hair).

Exactly....

Helm's Deep alone with uruk-hai Army was better than all 4 sets of the 2nd wave..... I would even say its better than Orthanc.... but thats because I would prefer a non-play set of Orthanc for display (aka without Ent and Gandalf and Eagle)

My dream Orthanc would be a set that closes (like Haunted House) and comes with Grima, Saruman and like 10 Orcs

However if there is no other LOTR waves I will buy 1 Pirate Ship Ambush just to keep it sealed for future.... Also would get another Mines of Moria if I can find them below 58€

[HawkLord]

Admittedly, I was not a huge fan of the second wave. The Wizard's battle was great just for Saruman and the palantir. The council of Elrond was great for the elves and some of the terrain pieces. The battle at the Black Gates felt lacking compared to Helm's Deep and could have been a great opportunity to touch on Gondor soldiers. The pirate ship felt like a good attempt, but nothing really needed as pirates/ghosts did not play into any other sets - no Pelannor fields battle... Orthanc was priced right for the brick count but failed to have mass appeal because it was mostly (as appropriate) just a ton of black bricks.

If the LOTR line fails, it will be because of the lackluster second wave. Sales of the first wave locally were very good, with some sets like Weathertop even selling out despite brick count. There was buzz, there no competition (at least until The Hobbit sets came out), and the overall momentum was there. With the second wave I can tell the buzz was not there, I couldn’t help but see competition with Lego’s own Hobbit and (newly introduced) Castle lines, and I feel like the momentum died out. Had wave two incorporated something like a Pelannor fields battle, eagles, Gondor material, or something that pushed the paceand also held back the Castle line, I think the community would not have these gloom and doom conversations.

[deskp]

If you like this specific model or not, you really should support the project in order to show LEGO we want mroe lotr aswell as mians tirith to get made. (just to be clear I didn't make this model or project)

http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/36275

2400 supporters isn't bad. But I think we can drive the numbers up a bit.

Even if the lotr line technically ends, WB and LEGO still has a good relationship so the potential for it to get made in the future is there.

[SMC]

^ agreed