LEGO LotR - general discussion

[Faefrost]

That sounds more like an AFOL MOC than something Lego would realistically do for a Mount Doom set. So many details and play features just for the lava!

Dr Infero's Lava Jacuzzi would still be hard to top.

http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=8637-

[Darth Caedus]

That sounds more like an AFOL MOC than something Lego would realistically do for a Mount Doom set. So many details and play features just for the lava!

I could see Lego putting a light brick under some transparent orange tiles and maybe having some sort of "fireball" catapult action that shoots a rock out the top. They might also do a break away bridge to simulate when the mountain erupts. I don't think a Mt. Doom set would lack play features. I think the biggest issue would just be the uninteresting minifigures. Another Sam would be nice, but I doubt many people are clamoring for another Gollum, or especially Frodo fig. I mean Gollum couldn't even have a different facial expression in the set since by that point in the film he is pretty ticked and we already got that face. The only difference with Frodo would be a weathered battered look and a light brown shirt. Do fans or kids really care about those tiny differences? Sauron on the other hand would be a GREAT minifigure to include.. but he couldn't really interact with any of the other minifigures if you are trying to recreate scenes from the film since they never meet.

Mount Doom could therefore be a 2nd Age Mount Doom - same exact play features, and it could have Elrond, Isildur, Sauron, Elendil, and Last Alliance warriors of both races, plus some Orcs. Sidenote: I don't know about anyone else, but have you looked at Polybag Elrond vs Council Elrond? Council Elrond is a VASTLY superior facial print - it actually resembles Hugo Weaving (compare to real version) and the hair is correct. Gamestop Elrond really doesn't look that much like Elrond at all.

Thus, since the Council of Elrond is the 'superior' Elrond, I've been using my Gamestop Elrond as a Gil-Galad minifigure.

[Bring More Popcorn]

Hey guys, new to the forums!

Anyways, on the note of a Mt.Doom set... I think if they included an ork camp outside the mountain, along with Frodo & Sam's ork disguises, we could recreate not only the destruction of the one ring, but also a few scenes prior to that where Frodo & Sam are trying to blend in with the orks. So maybe...

Frodo - new print and armor

Sam - new print and armor

Gollum

Ork Pit Master - possibly new mold with Azog/Bombur style potbelly

2x Mordor Orks

With those minifigures along with Mount Doom interior/exterior and the ork camp, I could see this set being loads of fun with many play feature possibilities. I love the idea of getting a Sauron minifigure, but I think he'd be better paired up with Isildur in a smaller "Wizard Battle" type set.

[chongcheng]

I had a look at the trade catalogue, unfortunately, 79015 to 79018 is for The Hobbit: There And Back Again (there is no pictures as to how they look like) and there is no mention of LOTR anywhere. So I must say the situation looks pretty grim for LOTR...

[Floundie]

I had a look at the trade catalogue, unfortunately, 79015 to 79018 is for The Hobbit: There And Back Again (there is no pictures as to how they look like) and there is no mention of LOTR anywhere. So I must say the situation looks pretty grim for LOTR...

Well then. That's that.

[djmangunz]

Well, that's a kick in the face although not completely unexpected. I have been working on collecting the last few LOTR sets I was missing ever since we found out there wasn't an ad for LOTR in the Hobbit instructions. Personally I expect that the summer Lego Movie sets have taken the place of the LOTR ones especially because Lego has been wanting to push the movie products so much. My last remaining hope is for a summer 2015 wave but that is only a fool's hope. I see my dreams of an official Faramir minifigure drifting away.....

[SirBlake]

Any more detail you can give us? Names or descriptions?

Edited January 6, 2014 by SirBlake

[Deathleech]

So Lego is going to release the TABA Hobbit sets over 2 months before the film is released rather than the same month like the previous two waves? That doesn't seem very wise...

[deskp]

I had a look at the trade catalogue, unfortunately, 79015 to 79018 is for The Hobbit: There And Back Again (there is no pictures as to how they look like) and there is no mention of LOTR anywhere. So I must say the situation looks pretty grim for LOTR...

And wich dates/month does it have them for?

only 4 sets.. i find that to not sound great for the crowning wave of the middle earth theme.

[SirBlake]

I still can't believe that LOTR could be over. A fools hope indeed. I will continue to expect a third wave until we have definitive proof that LOTR is dead.

Edited January 6, 2014 by SirBlake

[Darth Malgus]

shame if its true, no nazgul, withc king, Sauron nor any Gondorian soldiers, bit of a fail with the second wave really... should've been a different assortment of sets.

[AFOLguy1970]

It does seem suspect that Hobbit sets would be release way ahead of the movie. If Lego had a choice, I am sure they would have released the previous two Hobbit waves further ahead of the movie. It did not give you much time to get these if you wanted them for Christmas gifts. Also, it seems like part of the reasoning for waiting for the movie's release was not to inadvertantly give away the plot or appearance of certain characters (thus at least one reason we did not get Smaug).

If this is it for LOTR, that is really a travesty. It pulled me out of my dark ages. No Gondor? Really? Imagine Star Wars without any manifestation of the Death Star or any Death Star scenes, and this is the equivalent of it.

[deskp]

If this is it for LOTR, that is really a travesty. It pulled me out of my dark ages. No Gondor? Really? Imagine Star Wars without any manifestation of the Death Star or any Death Star scenes, and this is the equivalent of it.

Yeah, no gondorians is like star wars without stormtroopers. Lego is leaving lotr behind with a massive gondorian sized hole. Gondor and Lorien will be the only 2 visited cultures lego will leave out it seems. Once we hopefully get a Galadriel from the hobbit Lorien will be covered, and Gondor will be the one culture overlooked by lego. we do ofcourse have aragorrn in his gondorian variant, but hes a miserable representantion for gondor.

If there is no more lotr, then the 2. wave we got truly was a bit of a travesty.

Lego if you are listning, give us atleast one more set with these characthers. It can be done with a Osgiliath/pelennor fields battle set.

Edited January 6, 2014 by deskp

[greenalfonzo]

Someone else suggested this earlier in the thread, but this is really what Lego needs to do to complete the line: take 70403 Dragon Mountain ($49) as template for Battle of Osgiliath ($59):

Fell Beast & Witchking, 2 Orcs, Faramir Ranger, 2 Gondor Soldiers, Osgiliath ruins, and landing barge. New molds: Witchking & Gondor helms, fell beast head. New printing: Gondor soldier torso/armor, Ranger torso.

They would have sold twice as many of these over the Black Gate.

[atreyu2112]

I doubt LotR is done. It would be totally ridiculous for it to be finished at this point. Why acquire the license in the first place if they didn't have plans to release more? The Balrog, Treebeard, Witchking with Fell Beast, Gondor/Minas Tirith, Eowyn, Faramir, Galadriel, & Sauron... I mean they're all major A scene characters & settings! There's still too way much money to be made with this franchise. Everything either sold out or sold REALLY well in all my area stores (multiple TRU, WM, Target & KMarts on Long Island and in NYC). Except for TRU who actually restocked some, the rest of the stores are totally sold out still. We're talking the BIG sets too, like Orthanc, HD, etc...

The new 2014 Star Wars sets were even pushed back for the Lego Movie merch!

I'd bet the LotR/Hobbit stuff has been pushed back too. There's NO WAY they'd release anything that has yet to be seen in TABA early. There's just no way. I can see a Dec. 1st release for new settings, but not sooner. Honestly, the only sets that could see coming sooner are Smaug or Erebor.

Like I said, I strongly doubt LotR is done.

Someone else suggested this earlier in the thread, but this is really what Lego needs to do ... take 70403 Dragon Mountain ($49) as template for Battle of Osgiliath ($59): They would have sold twice as many of these over the Black Gate.

Agreed. Not to end the line, but definitely 1/3 of it could be knocked out right there. Add:

Mirror of Galadriel $12

Treebeard set (would be just like Shelob Attacks) $20-30

The Balrog (just like the TMNT Baxter Robot Rampage) $40 TRU/Shop exclusive

Bam... highly sought after wave in the books!

Edited January 6, 2014 by atreyu2112

[SirBlake]

That would do everything I really need out of LOTR. I'd also like to throw a lot of money at a large Minas Tirith set, but what you just described would prevent a lot of sadness. I'd buy 3 or 4 of those instead of the 0 pirate ships I bought.

[deskp]

2015 is a big year for super heroes and star wars, but there doesen't seem to be any new big movie to lisence, perhaps they would have the last lotr wave summer of 2015?

"It would be totally ridiculous for it to be finished at this point. Why acquire the license in the first place if they didn't have plans to release more?"

Lego use lisences for only 1 wave of sets all the time. it's not rediculous at all. They make their deals for however long they agree upon, it's not like they signed a 10 year deal with lotr.

It's like renting an apartment, not buying a house.

Edited January 6, 2014 by deskp

[atreyu2112]

Bad business decision when there's still money to be made with a strong demand. The franchise is right in the public eye NOW with another major blockbuster film coming the end of the year. It just makes no sense. The best time to sell these would be this year.

[chongcheng]

For 79015 to 79018, the dates are put as October 2014 - no pictures - sets description listed as Hobbit 5, Hobbit 6, Hobbit 7, Hobbit 8.

79015 box size is 191 x 141 x 46 mm

79016 box size is 282 x 262 x 59 mm

79018 box size is 582 x 378 x 87 mm

OK, I missed out on 79017 box size....but that is about all the information I gleaned from the trade catalogue.

[GuntherThePenguin]

I know people might jump down my throat for saying this, but I prefer the Hobbit trilogy over the LotR. With that being said, I'm okay with this news as long as we are still getting TABA sets. However, I still love LotR, and it breaks my heart to see it missing completely, especially knowing that TABA is the final wave for Hobbit. I truly hope LotR continues so that Middle-Earth doesn't disappear completely.

[Deathleech]

There are a few possibilities if this news is correct.

1.) Lego stuck to their original release schedule which was in place when the third Hobbit movie had a summer 2014 release. Lego is releasing the third Hobbit wave in the summer and the third and final Lotr wave in the winter like they originally planned. This would also explain why their was a Hobbit advertisement in the second Hobbit sets rather than a LotR advertisement (it was the next Middle Earth wave, 2 Hobbit waves back to back). Of course the reason this doesn't really make sense is because switching a waves release around isn't that hard (not like totally building a set from scratch, it's all done already they just choose when to ship it). Why would Lego have the Hobbit wave be released a few months before the movie is even out, potentially ruining spoilers and obviously not riding the free advertisement from the movie AND Christmas sales?

2.) This wave is going to cover sets Lego missed with their previous two Hobbit waves. It will be sets based on the first two movies. I don't see this as very likely considering they labeled TABA sets...

3.) The info is just wrong as this is a LotR wave and the winter wave will be a Hobbit one like the past two years. This would probably be the best case scenario.

4.) The forth possibility is probably the worst. This is the last Hobbit wave and there will be no December wave. LotR is done and the second wave was it. Why would Lego choose not to do a Gondor set and choose the lackluster second wave? Well there is the chance that they had more waves planned but cut the line short prematurely after poor sales. Rather than continue with a third wave they decided to cut their loses and not release it. I really hope this isn't the case...

Edited January 6, 2014 by Deathleech

[wesker]

Ending the line now would be a joke, especially after the second wave being mostly made up of filler characters and sets.

It wouldn't surprise me if the line did end without giving us Faramir and Eowyn though. Outside of Toybiz they're always getting the short end of the stick compared to the other characters.

Edited January 6, 2014 by wesker

[The_Chosen_1]

Gosh, this development is absolutely heartbreaking if true. As things stand now, the LOTR line seems.....incomplete. There is still so much potential, and to leave out such characters as Faramir, Eowyn, Gondorian soldiers and the Witchking (as deskp mentioned above) would be such a shame. Still hoping against hope that the line will continue.

[SandMirror38]

2015 is a big year for super heroes and star wars, but there doesen't seem to be any new big movie to lisence, perhaps they would have the last lotr wave summer of 2015?

"It would be totally ridiculous for it to be finished at this point. Why acquire the license in the first place if they didn't have plans to release more?"

Lego use lisences for only 1 wave of sets all the time. it's not rediculous at all. They make their deals for however long they agree upon, it's not like they signed a 10 year deal with lotr.

It's like renting an apartment, not buying a house.

Maybe Tintin Lego instead?

*cough* *cough* Uh... .. I mean more LOTR!!

[Darth Punk]

So 79018 box size is 22" x 14" x 3". Similar size box as pirate ship ambush set. Is that a standard size? Or tell us how many pieces?

That's if the info is correct of course. Why does the listing start at hobbit 5?

Even if the info is true it really says nothing about the fate of TLoR. And nothing is written in stone. So until TLG says no more LoTR or its a year later and still no word I see no reason why we should not expect a final wave. I certainly don't intend to wrap myself in knots every time a non confirmation rears its ugly head.