What is Your Favorite Wave 2 LotR Set?

[Deathleech]

I think the first LotR wave was vastly superior to the Hobbit and second LotR waves. That's not to say they are bad by any means, I just feel the first wave was near perfection. It covered a lot of major scenes, had excellent builds and characters, and had something for everyone.

I find the second LotR wave has faults with almost every set, though some are pretty minor. The Wizard Battle is probably the best small set we have seen yet, but the fact Gandalf and Saruman appear exactly the same in the Orthanc set severely lessens it's appeal. Of course for anyone who can't afford Orthanc, it's a great option to get Saruman, but for everyone else it's a pretty worthless set that only offers a unique Palathir print. I would agree The Council of Elrond set is probably the best of the wave. Another Gimli and Frodo kind of sucks (SHOULD OF HAD BOROMIR!), but Arwen and Elrond are great additions. For a smaller set it looks beautiful by itself and offers a lot of new unique pieces. I just wish there would of been more chairs... 3 when there should be over a dozen is kind of lame. At least they could of gave 6? The Black Gates set is pretty cool looking but you really need two to make it look "complete". While I actually like Lego giving options, I really hate the fact it has so many named characters. Over half the minifigures from a second set are worthless (unless you go through the hassle of selling them or using them in a MOC). Lastly there is the Pirate Ship Ambush. I actually really like this set and find nothing terribly wrong with it. Another Corsair or two would of been nice, but all well. The major issue with this set is it is shown in the movies so little and has such an insignificant role that it's hard to warm up to.