Press Release 10237 - Tower of Orthanc

[KazeMonsuta]

Well, there went my plans to buy anything else this year.

200€ is steep. I also will have to really think this through until the 1st July.

When I have the money for it, I'll buy it as soon as possible.

I don't know why, but the Ent looks.. strange. The Torso is the head. Is that really how Ents are supposed to look? It felt somewhat strange looking at it the first time.

The minifigs are completly underwhelming. Orc and Uruk-Hai? Gandalf and Saruman - Two figures that will be released this year in a set for around 12€... and Wormtounge... Yeah... Not really thrilling. I would have liked at leat one more Orc with ears and Merry and Pippin. They could have done that, there is an Ent in the Set!

This may be a set I will really get for the build. A huge black tower from one of the most famous movies ever? Fine! But only after a LONG time of meditation, if I really want to leave out a huge portion of my wanted-List for this Big Boy.

[SteampunkDoc]

So beautiful, so detailed, so expensive....I think I'm going to cry.

Now, on to a review, because I feel like doing one.

Ent: Eh, the head kinda got squashed down into the body, but other than that it's cool.

Minfigures: Yea minifigs!....Oh wait, only one exclusive, or maybe two if Saruman's printing is different. Well, Gandalf has hair now, that's new.

Tower Exterior: ​Squeeeee!!! It's gorgeous, and the tapering and shape actually look fairly accurate. It's got the stairs, the balcony, some nice windows, and lots of black.

Tower Interior: Looks like a lot of stickers, but who cares, they look great. The ladder to the attic is a nice detail, and those top two rooms are very detailed for being so small. I'm really loving the other wizard's pictures. The bomb-making room is sweet with it's bars and stuff. The throne room looks amazing, and those yellow spheres are sweet. The bottom level has a nice dungeon-y feel, and makes a great basement.

Overall, it looks fantastic, but is out of my price range....Sadly.

Can't wait for a detailed review, as that's about as close to one of these as I'll ever get.

[The_Chosen_1]

I don't understand all the venom regarding the Ent...it looks fantastic to me, especially since it's not supposed to be Treebeard (hint at a possible Treebeard set in the future??). Ents come in all shapes and sizes in the films.

[jonwil]

Boy do I like this. Need to wait for more info (such as an inventory) before making a final decision though.

That and the Australian price tag (which, based on the prices given in the press release and based on the price differences of other sets, will probably be somewhere north of AU$300)

[Cammo]

HOLY ... That's quite expensive but an instant buy for me. Glad I didn't buy the Hot Toys Bane.

So there's no reason to buy the little summer set really. You get the dress and the leg piece in the Orthanc set. That already saves me € 15. + the € 25 - coupon will be ideal to purchase this set.

My only complaint is that you only get 'half' of the tower. They should have used hinges like the Haunted Mansion set.

BTW is this a hint that we are getting a Radagast Minifigure?

http://www.flickr.co...01534/lightbox/

Let the countdown begin.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Cammo

[Sandy]

My jaw just LITERALLY dropped!

I must must MUST have this set! It's just so fascinating! The ent is cute as heck, the new figs are great, and all the detailed stuff in the interior is endlessly useful.

[phonciplebone]

It's...beautiful.

Edited April 26, 2013 by phonciplebone

[Professor Flitwick]

Amazing. Everything I hoped it would be, and more. Just so... perfect.

[LegoFjotten]

Nice! No way I can resist buying this...

[Speedboat]

Well, that's certainly interesting! The tower seems to be well designed and sufficiently big. The minifigs lok amazing, too, not that I had expected anything else. The eagle and the ent on the other hand don't look as fantastic as the rest. The eagle is way to small, with Gandalf mounted on it, it looks kind of ridiculous.

200€ is a lot of money for this set, even if the tower is nicely designed and I've never seen really good deals on these exclusive set, so I'll probably save my money for some of the other LotR and Hobbit sets coming out this year.

[Eurolock]

Not getting the full tower is a major disappointment at this price point. Modifying the set to complete the tower will require a very extensive rebuild and will not simply be a case of attaching a few hinges since the missing part is less than half the tower

i can see those new arches in black commanding a high price on Bricklink.

[The_Chosen_1]

Meh, I'm not too bothered that it isn't the "whole" tower. That could easily have added another $100 to the price tag, and made it too costly.

[Brickadiergerard]

I'm with the "impressed" faction. It's an iconic building, and they've done a great job of replicating it. The detail in the interior is well thought out and there's plenty of clever touches - pictures of the 5 wizards, the light-up Palantir, Saruman's robes, etc etc etc. Well done TLG.

I have no idea where I'll put it.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Brickadiergerard

[Rufus]

I've uploaded all the images to the gallery. Here are smaller images with some organisation. Click for full-sized images.

Box Image

Tower

Gandalf

Saruman

Grima Wormtongue

Orc

Uruk

Eagle

Ent

Weapons

Scenes

I think that's all of them.

[deskp]

Holy moly, thats a great set, the ent is cute but looks a little dumb.

I like how they made grima beige instead of "peach"

That little radagast painting is cute.

At last Saruman gets a "skirt"

Very interesting how the wizard battle set is included and upgraded in this set. (only mssing the printed sauron eye)

It does not look good photograped from an low angle though!

Amazingly fun detail: The torches are present but not lit in the blackpowder/bomb creating room!

Edited April 26, 2013 by deskp

[Alcarin]

Ok lets see

RULE NUMBER 1: NEVER ever put any minifig on that horrid Eagle because it looks beyond retarded

Ent looks dumb with those eyes looking like he is really lacking any brains

I would rather they put no Ent eagle OR gandalf inside and give us proper set with more sorrounding details (Orc forge type of stuff) and more wild men and stuff like that.

Kind disappointed especially on that price tag...

(170$ is a fair price)

[Dr.Cogg]

The Orthanc will go well with my Orc Forge.

[Deathleech]

FINALLY we get some info! This is almost everything I hoped for!

We get a brand new Grima figure and Saruman with new robe (and normal legs), which are nice. All of the rest of the minifigures look like they can be gotten in other sets. The Mordor Orc without ears/hair, or different printing is lame, but that's pretty much to be expected at this point seeing as how Lego has released the same one in every other set that has Mordor Orc(s). The White Hand armored Uruk-hai is nice to get more of, but also nothing new. Gandalf the Gray with hair will be the exact same minifigure released in the Wizard Duel set a month or two before Orthanc, as will the Eagle also being released in the Black Gates set. I kind of wish we could of gotten a few more minifigures, but they would of probably just been more Mordor Orcs or Uruk-hai which would increase the price and be unnecessary.

As for the build, it looks GREAT! I kind of would have preferred no interior, and just a full outside done, but I doubt it would of been any cheaper. The set will still look great from the front while offering tons of play features in the back the way Lego did it too. The best of both worlds I suppose. I really love all the little details Lego did inside and the outside looks great for display purposes. The price does seem a little steep at $200. I would of gladly payed that for a Minas Tirith set, but Orthanc...? Meh. All the same the price per piece is relatively low being just under 9 cents per piece. Pretty good for a licensed set. I wonder if some people will opt for Orthanc, OR the entire 2nd LotR since they both come out to be right around $200? Being a Lego Shop exclusive means we prolly won't see many/any deals on this set where as you will prolly find the 2nd LotR wave sets for 25% off within the first month. I kind of wish Lego would of left one of the levels of the tower bare and made it so the Wizard Duel set fit in there. This would of knocked off about $10 of the set. Not much but it's something.

Lastly there is the Ent. Personally I think it looks fine. I have seen lots of Ent MOCs and this one probably falls at the higher end in terms of looking good. I am sure Lego tried to keep it's size down a bit to keep the overall set price down. Personally I would of prefered no Ent at all after seeing the price, and had Lego release another $20-30 set later on with Merry/Pippin in it, but all well. No Ent and the Wizard Duel connecting would of prolly knocked the price of this set down to $170 which is much easier to stomache. Speaking of Ents though...

especially since it's not supposed to be Treebeard (hint at a possible Treebeard set in the future??). Ents come in all shapes and sizes in the films.

My thoughts exactly! Why blatantly leave Merry, Pippin, and Treebeard out, yet include an Ent? I think this is a pretty strong indicator we will get a Treabeard set in a future LotR wave. I see no other reason to leave a named character out of a set like this, and include a random no name Ent instead.

[krystalKING]

I don't usually comment here, BUT MY WORD, THAT IS MASSIVE. I know I probably won't get it, and I usually oppose liencenises, but I'm appreiciating the amount of detail they put in this set. I mean, this thing is awesome!

[jmagaletta]

I will be getting it as i have been waiting for news/pics since it was rumored but I am VERY DISSAPOINTED in the open back. it makes it kinda cheesy for me. I think tlg couldnt decided whether this was marketed toward adult collectors like ucs or kids.

[Andy D]

At this price-point, for me, it is a must buy, not for the set, but for the parts. Set is good if you like LOTR, but, well, just more parts to me.

I will build and enjoy for awhile, then into he inventory.

Just MHO YMMV,

Andy D

[Phoib]

Not into buying LotR sets, but it looks massive.

And I love the little toadstool on the ent's foot

[Calanon]

I need this... I cannot type the noise I made when I saw this...

[KristofBD]

I thought the Orthanc was too plain to make a good set out of it, but I must say I am very impressed by the interior. I am actually quite happy it has an open back and an interior. Great set - a must-buy for sure!

[Kez]

This is everything I had hoped it wouId be, I even predicted that it would have an open back with play features, I was hoping that we would get a picture of this soon, it was totally unexpected but this set looks awesome and I love every thing about it (even the price point), I'm also glad that this set comes out in July because its my birthday soon so i'l have to get saving