Review: 79014 Dol Guldur Battle

[Blazej_Holen]

Nice review as always. Making me want this set as there are some interesting parts in it, and nice minifigures.

I was going to explain it, but tought it would spoiled the film...

ITS a DWARVEN RING FROM THRAIN.. and it is not a spoiler because anyone can read this informations in Silmarilion and in Unfinished Tales...Wizard ring is just mistake...There are 3 Elven Rings, 5 rods of Wizards, 7 Dwarven Rings and 9 Rings for Men - Nazguls. And of course THE ONE RING :)

A great review for a lackluster set. I voted 'average' myself, and feel I was being rather generous. While we've had a couple of good sets for The Hobbit so far, they generally aren't nearly as good as the LOTR sets for some reason. It's like they're using the B-material for The Hobbit. Radagast and the grey statue are the only highlights in this set for me, but they definetely aren't essential enough for me to buy this set.

It's a plus that they made the set modular though - but ultimately falls short on the fact that neither this set nor it's smaller companion are particularly interesting.

Lackluster?

From all Hobbit sets this is one of the most inspiring...

1. Bag End - definitely the best one

2. Dol Guldur Battle in combination of DGA

3. Attack of the Wargs

4. Lake Town Chase

5. Goblin King Battle (maybe)

You can extend this set in way you want to, this is just a courtyard, and its a good representation of it. If they build a good representation of fortress it will cost at least 200 dollars, or more, and then there will be no less criticism on the way how they did it...The Hobbit sets are aimed on kids thats why they put there a lot of play features...Initiate LOTR line has no play features like these...They were focused on realistic reproduction of the buildings such as Helms Deep, Weathertop, Black Gate and so on, and to be honest, they have to do with realistic price for general audience...

This set is good, It should be better, but is good. Every minifig is valuable. Necromancer too..After all its a shadow, black spirit whichlooks like a human but its not. Orc are quirte good, Azog is excelent Add on, and Radagast as well. And Gandalf? It doesent matter, not everyone have this fig. Not every kid have all of those sets.

:)

[lightningtiger]

Thanks for the review 'MB', oh, man.....a DSS for major detailed parts....pity those section using stickers like the hidden Necromancer part of the set were not brick built.

At least the minifigs are excellent, and I guess it's a play set more than anything else.....but it's no Helms Deep.

[Etzel]

I'm not sure what to think of this set. It definitely has its pros and cons and overall I guess it's an okay set, though not good enough the justify the high price tag over here.

I like the parts collection, dark grey is, as Zcerb said, always needed and I like the overall selection of slopes, bricks and plates with some accent pieces like the dark red leaved trees and the brown vines. Some more pieces in cool colors as dark green or olive green would've made me like the set better though.

My main critic of the set is the lack of interesting minifigs. The orcs lacks hairpieces and Azog looks just awful. Gandalf, while provides a useful torso. is just too common now and the Necromancer is also a bit boring. Radagast is okay I guess, but I'm not really a fan of his character so I doubt I will use him in any build. Another thing in this set that annoys me are all the small play features that uses a lot of small technic pieces that increases the piece count without providing any good building material, a common problem in sets today.

I don't think I will buy this set, certainly not on full price but maybe if it's on a very good sale. If I do get it, I'm not sure that I would be bothered to build the set as it looks quite boring. I'll take it for the pieces, not the design, that's for sure.

[Blazej_Holen]

I'm not sure what to think of this set. It definitely has its pros and cons and overall I guess it's an okay set, though not good enough the justify the high price tag over here.

I like the parts collection, dark grey is, as Zcerb said, always needed and I like the overall selection of slopes, bricks and plates with some accent pieces like the dark red leaved trees and the brown vines. Some more pieces in cool colors as dark green or olive green would've made me like the set better though.

My main critic of the set is the lack of interesting minifigs. The orcs lacks hairpieces and Azog looks just awful. Gandalf, while provides a useful torso. is just too common now and the Necromancer is also a bit boring. Radagast is okay I guess, but I'm not really a fan of his character so I doubt I will use him in any build. Another thing in this set that annoys me are all the small play features that uses a lot of small technic pieces that increases the piece count without providing any good building material, a common problem in sets today.

I don't think I will buy this set, certainly not on full price but maybe if it's on a very good sale. If I do get it, I'm not sure that I would be bothered to build the set as it looks quite boring. I'll take it for the pieces, not the design, that's for sure.

High price? Thats a joke right?

It takes 69 bucks, Mines of Moria - thats useful set with high price. Only interesting figure is Cave Troll but either way, he is blue and that is awfull

[Risgrynsgrot]

High price? Thats a joke right?

It takes 69 bucks, Mines of Moria - thats useful set with high price. Only interesting figure is Cave Troll but either way, he is blue and that is awfull

The difference is that Mines of Moria has 6 beautiful figures, and a cool big fig. Boromir is much cooler and more iconic than Radagast (the best one in DGB), and overall the minifigs in that set holds a much higer quality than in DGB (The orcs have ears and hair!) Also the Mines of Moria set itself, even tough I think it's pretty subpar, still is an iconic piece of the trilogy.

Obviously this can't be said about DGB yet, but even if it will be some iconic scenes there during the movie (I doubt it, since Azog will be fighting Gandalf) the set still looks ugly. A bland, uninspired grey wall.

[Etzel]

High price? Thats a joke right?

It takes 69 bucks, Mines of Moria - thats useful set with high price. Only interesting figure is Cave Troll but either way, he is blue and that is awfull

$69 is the US price and sounds fair, but I live in Sweden and pay 899 SEK ($138) for it which I think is too much.

Mines of Moria was indeed a useful set with a high price, but I liked the minifigs from that set much more than the one in DGB. The cave troll is not that interesting IMO, but the rest of the minifigs are. I'm happy that I managed to get that set for a good price, but I wouldn't have bought at full retail price.

[Blazej_Holen]

The difference is that Mines of Moria has 6 beautiful figures, and a cool big fig. Boromir is much cooler and more iconic than Radagast (the best one in DGB), and overall the minifigs in that set holds a much higer quality than in DGB (The orcs have ears and hair!) Also the Mines of Moria set itself, even tough I think it's pretty subpar, still is an iconic piece of the trilogy.

Obviously this can't be said about DGB yet, but even if it will be some iconic scenes there during the movie (I doubt it, since Azog will be fighting Gandalf) the set still looks ugly. A bland, uninspired grey wall.

Yes u get Legolas, Boromir, Pippin..they are good figures, now Legolas is not unique, so the rest unique characters are Boromir - quite normal, nothing special, and Pippin. Orc are weird - because of their unprinted legs..And Gimli is like Gandalf - almost in every set :)

I didnt said the Mines of Moria is ugly set, but it is just wall and door...Lot of grey like DGB.

Azog is main evil character of the first movie and the figure is just great (on Lego), Radagast is third wizard form middlearth, so he is really important, much more than Boromir for comparasion. Orc are sometimes bald, so its not a tragedy...Same like elves, some have hoods some have hairpiece. Its always good to have variety of minifigs.

And for the rest - which quality you mean?

The set is good representation of Dol Guldur, much more better than Mines of Moria. But still I like both of them.

$69 is the US price and sounds fair, but I live in Sweden and pay 899 SEK ($138) for it which I think is too much.

Mines of Moria was indeed a useful set with a high price, but I liked the minifigs from that set much more than the one in DGB. The cave troll is not that interesting IMO, but the rest of the minifigs are. I'm happy that I managed to get that set for a good price, but I wouldn't have bought at full retail price.

This is really big overprice... :(

[Temet Nosce]

Great review, although I think the set itself isn't too great. It looks like generic ruins with not a lot of obvious details. Plus it doesn't stand out as anything iconic from middle earth. However after the 2nd movie is out I may well be eating those words. The minifigs are the usual fantastic focus of the set though.

[Masked Builder]

Thank you all for the replies! I enjoy reading them and it's great to know you've enjoyed my work.

[CardinalBricks]

The 2X2 round plate isn't just in the new Hobbit sets. It's also found in the Parisian Restaurant, and a few City sets, such as the logging truck.

[phanstasm]

Thanks for the review, Masked Builder. Great photos!

I voted average for two reasons:

#1. It's a great courtyard, but doesn't capture the claustrophobic and labyrinth-like feel of Dol Guldur from the movies.

- I'd suggest anyone who can should buy Vampyre Castle (9468) to help create more of Dol Guldur.

#2. Azog's headpiece and hand are not at all in the Lego style. With the hand, it's too long and can't hold anything. The head really sets him apart from other minifigures, though not in a good way.

- First, there's a nose.

- Second, he has no shoulders. Look at Masked Builder's great villain photo. The gundabad orc has massive shoulder armor. Azog's headpiece doesn't cover the shoulders, and makes him look out of proportion.

- Third, there's no stud on top of his head like other bald orcs. Not only does it break continuity with other bald orcs, but it also limits customization. Half the fun of Lego is making modifications. By taking away the stud, you're limiting the user's ability to customize the minifgure. Imo, it's going against the spirit of Lego.

If you watch this designer video, Gitte Thorsen explains how she sculpted the dwarf beards and wargs. She clearly has a great grasp of the Lego style. I wish she had designed Azog. Link: youtube.com/watch?v=cr-ehwGvcAw

*Also, does anyone have minifigure concept art for Azog? I’d love to see what Lego's other design options were.*

Edited December 4, 2013 by phanstasm

[Blazej_Holen]

Thanks for the review, Masked Builder. Great photos!

I voted average for two reasons:

#1. It's a great courtyard, but doesn't capture the claustrophobic and labyrinth-like feel of Dol Guldur from the movies.

- I'd suggest anyone who can should buy Vampyre Castle (9468) to help create more of Dol Guldur.

#2. Azog's headpiece and hand are not at all in the Lego style. With the hand, it's too long and can't hold anything. The head really sets him apart from other minifigures, though not in a good way.

- First, there's a nose.

- Second, he has no shoulders. Look at Masked Builder's great villain photo. The gundabad orc has massive shoulder armor. Azog's headpiece doesn't cover the shoulders, and makes him look out of proportion.

- Third, there's no stud on top of his head like other bald orcs. Not only does it break continuity with other bald orcs, but it also limits customization. Half the fun of Lego is making modifications. By taking away the stud, you're limiting the user's ability to customize the minifgure. Imo, it's going against the spirit of Lego.

If you watch this designer video, Gitte Thorsen explains how she sculpted the dwarf beards and wargs. She clearly has a great grasp of the Lego style. I wish she had designed Azog. Link: youtube.com/watch?v=cr-ehwGvcAw

*Also, does anyone have minifigure concept art for Azog? I’d love to see what Lego's other design options were.*

Ön a contrary I think Azog is just fine. He dont need to be customized. This minifig capture the character of the Pale orc. He is different than the other ones. He is bigger and pale.. Great mould of his head, and nose is not the problem.

I agreee with u that there is no claustrophobic feeling form this set, its just a courtyard. And also gree thet Vampyre castle set from MF series is great oportunity for mocing and adding to the courtyard. Dol Guldur itself has many staircase, many tunnels and so on. I guess that there will be some MOCs soon, I already work at one.. My first act is to recreate proper main tower to the current one and add some trees and vegetation...

[The_Creator]

Thanks for the review Captain Nemo! As far as the set goes; meh, there's a lot of sets I'd rather get, and I'm overall not very impressed by the set- but I'd really like to get Radgast, certainly a favorite minifigure of this wave.

Edited December 4, 2013 by The_Creator

[legomonk]

Thank you for the review! This set seems like it has to many named figures in it. Doesn’t seem like one I would buy more then once.

[KristofBD]

Just built the set. I have to say: the coolest figure in real life is really the statue - it looks brilliant and has great back printing!

All in all the set is a mixed bag: some nice parts, great figs and some parts are nice builds. The room in the tower where the orcs live is pretty cute and a pleasant surprise. The final product does not look bad either. But it simply is a ruins, which is pretty difficult to translate into something interesting as a lego set. Moreover, it includes a lot of big pieces and the backside is simply not that appealing.

But I am not complaining and found it nicer than the Goblin King set, Barrel Escape, attack of the warts and riddles of the ring.

[4WD]

Great review! Thank you for it.

I actually love this set and so I gave it a 5. I thought the modular build was enjoyable, the double diagonal staircases were interesting and the creepy end result was well worth it. It also makes a good showcase for its array of minifigures. Radagast is one of my favourite minifigures in years, and despite a boring Gandalf repeat and a disappointing Necromancer, I found the the three Orcs (Azog in particular) to be quite detailed and appealing.

I can still understand people's issues with this set however. As an owner of Mines of Moria I can say that it had a better design and included the Cave Troll for a slightly higher price. Finishing the scene also makes this set more expensive, but I like being able to choose my price point to a certain degree.

[narbilu]

Great review, and I agree... yesterday I put the set together and without the use of the stickers (which I hate) it is a greyish blob.

Little real interesting parts. Figs are good... love Radagast and Azog.

[HawkLord]

Fantastic review and great pics - thank you for sharing. Overall, I'm on the fence about the set, but will wait till after seeing the movie before deciding. Granted the build isn't much, I'm hoping their might be some iconic scene involving it in the movie and that might make the set more meaningful. Realistically, though it's probably still just going to be the backdrop for a CG heavy fight scene and then this set goes back to being a wall with some nice minifigures. Time will tell...

[TeufelHund]

I built this last night and I have to say that the finished ruin looks pretty good and the build was pretty decent with only a bit of repetition. I'm not sold on the twin stairs or the skull dropper, but other than that it looks suitably ruinous and evil. The parts selection is decent, given that the set includes few large panel pieces so there's lots of basic castle-building goodness there, including a fair numebr of brick bricks and relatively rare some nice red leaves.

Figure-wise, the only real disappointment (other than Gandalf #5 for me) is the Necromancer - he really doesn't work at all. Maybe a nice horned crown or black cloak would help (I guess the designers didn't have much to work with given they are replciating a shadow). I think Azog looks fine as is and Radagast is a treat.

[phanstasm]

After building the set for myself, I changed my vote from "average" to "above average" for a few reasons.

Largely, it's due to the modular sections. They add a lot of play value. I found that the tower can easily fit on top of the Necromancer's hovel, making the structure taller and more fortress-like.

Another thing I liked was that the designer filled every room with decorations, a play feature, or both. You don't always see that in sets.

On the minifigures, Azog has grown on me. As for the Necromancer, I found he looks more interesting if you put him in front of a black wall. Then his parts blend into the background, the prints pop, and he appears more ghostly.

Also, I know a lot of people aren't sticker fans, but for those that are this set offers some very nice graphics. It's especially effective around the Necromancer's hovel. The graphics department did a good job.

Overall, I still don't think the set captures the claustrophobic and labyrinth-like feel of Dol Guldur from the movies, but I do think it's a fantastic playset for any Lego fan.

Sets you can use to expand this Dol Guldur courtyard into a fortress:

* Troll's Mountain Fortress

* Vampyre Castle

* Riddles for the Ring - parts from this set can be used to make the modular sections taller, and more fortress-like

I guess that there will be some MOCs soon, I already work at one.. My first act is to recreate proper main tower to the current one and add some trees and vegetation...

I'm looking forward to seeing your MOC.

Edited December 6, 2013 by phanstasm

[Kliq]

Very well done review! Unfortunately the set isn't going to be one that I purchase. The design leaves much to be desired. Even if the PPP ratio is decent, I don't buy sets for that value. When I buy LEGO, I purchase it for the set design. I build my sets and keep them built. This isn't one that I would want to display. The only thing that I will want to purchase eventually is the Radagast figure, which is amazing, even though I will swap out his head and hands for proper yellow ones.

[Missing Brick]

Nice review. Think I'll pass: Radagast is OK but I can do without the rest. Not a fan of bald orcs and weird looking figs like Azog that aren't even in the book and which Jackson just made up to pad out the films.

[BrickG]

Got this half off which makes it worth it for sure.

[Deathleech]

I am in the camp that thinks this set looks like nothing more than a glorified gray wall. I know Mines of Moria catches a lot of flak for the same reason but at least there it make sense. It's basically just a room under a mountain, not exactly the easiest to depict nor really a reason to create the whole room. With Dol Guldur they could of created the actual fort though like they did with Helm's Deep. I wish Lego would of made the set more expensive and added a lot more detail to round out the structure. They could of easily made DGA and DGB one set and then added another $10-20 worth of pieces to make the set feel "whole". Usually I am a fan of splitting sets up to add more options like with Helm's Deep and Uruk-hai Army, but here it just doesn't work. As is the whole the wave just feels wrong. Two of the four sets are dedicated to Dol Guldur and even combined they STILL don't look complete. Why not do a proper $100+ flagship set, include more minifigures people want like Gladriel or Elrond in battle gear (if they are in the scene in the movie), and then that way the smallest set can depict something else? For such a small wave DGB is just too dinky itself and there are too many sets devoted to it.

As for the minifigures, I find all except Radagast have issues. Azog looks oddly disproportional as others have mentioned. The Necromancer lacks detail (no printing on his black parts or a cape?), we have gotten Gandalf a million times before, and no orc hair or ears really sucks. I feel like Lego really dropped the ball with this set. They could of done so much more but didn't. I really hope they announce an additional set after the movie is released and are just holding back because they don't want to reveal Smaug yet (even though he has been revealed in other places).

[Cammo]

Its a lot better in person. I do curve the wall at its max so it looks more bulky. Tempted to get the ambush though.