LEGO: Six Of The Coolest Lord Of The Rings Sets Around
Stand with the Rohirrim or bring down the Dark Lord with these awesome LEGO Lord of the Rings sets.
The Lord of the Rings is a massive franchise, with a new animated movie out now. Given how popular the franchise is, you’d think it would be huge in the world of LEGO. You’d think it would be on par with Star Wars or some of the other major franchises. LEGO does make Lord of the Rings sets, but they just don’t make a ton. They put out a good number in 2012-14, and then things went radio silence.
However, in the last two years, they have brought the theme back with some really stunning sets, some of the best LEGO sets we’ve seen. So, let’s take a look at the theme and see what some of the best Lord of the Rings sets that they’ve put out are, and hope for some epic new ones!
#6 – The Goblin King Battle (79010)
First, we’ve got an entry from the Hobbit movies. They’re not the best, but I think we have them to thank for getting LEGO into The Lord of the Rings at all. The set shows off the Goblin King and his lair. It’s a pretty decent set that recreates the ramshackle goblin lair. It’s got lots of fun details and playability. I’m also a big fan of the Goblin King minifig that’s included.
#5 – Pirate Ship Ambush (79008)
This set may be called “Pirate Ship Ambush,” but true fans will know it depicts a ship manned by any old bunch of pirates, but of the Corsairs of Umbar. Of course, because the set is based on Aragorn‘s arrival at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, there aren’t many pirates at all (though you do get one in chains). I love a good ship, and the Corsair ship looks pretty rad. I also love that we get some Army of the Dead minifigs in the LEGO Lord of the Rings set. Spooooky!
#4 – The Battle of Helm’s Deep (9474-1)
Though it’s under 1,500 pieces The Battle of Helm’s Deep is one of the bigger LEGO sets from the 2012-2014 runs. And it’s pretty dang cool. While the scale is wacky, I think it does a really good job of showing the Hornburg and the Deeping wall.
The actual build is great, and while you might get bigger MOC builds of the battle this was an easy one to buy and build. I do think the Minifigs – inlcuding Theoden – you get are kind of a let down for a “battle” and you don’t get any generic good guys, but that is pretty easy to fix on your own. The actual castle looks dang good.
#3 – The Tower of Orthanc (10237)
Speaking of iconic scenes from the Two Towers, we have the impressive Tower of Orthac. Now I don’t think pictures of this really do it justice. It’s a cool imposing black tower, but the base is just there and stripped of the soundings its a bit lacking. But friends, this thing is almost two feet tall. It’s really an impressive build and with a little base work can look just super cool. You also get an eagle for Gandalf to ride and an Ent in the set. Given how small a lot of these early sets were this one really really stood out.
#2 Barad-dûr (10333)
Friends and fellow fans, forget everything on the list up to this point. Those were relics of a fallen age. Sauron’s Barad-dûr, the newest LoTR LEGO set, forces them all to bow before it with an iron fist. It’s bigger, badder and filled with a will to dominate all LEGO sets.
This is a massive and imposing set. I’m so glad LEGO brought back LoTR as a theme and with the quality of the sets we are getting. The new line is clearly focusing on big prestige sets for collectors and Barad-dûr delivers in spades. It’s got a detailed inside with a ton of details, my favorite being a menu with meat on it. That almost won it top spot, to be honest.
The 5,471-piece build is split into four main sections; the tower section is fully modular. The dark tower features a throne room with a complement containing a map and a ladder to the top floor. The 4th floor is home to Mouth of Sauron’s study, while the 5th floor houses a tower library with a rotating ladder. At the summit of the tower is the Eye of Sauron, which rotates in various directions and features a light brick to make the eye glow.
- 5,471 pieces
- 10 minifigures
- 32.5 in. (83 cm) high, 17.5 in. (45 cm) wide and 12 in. (30 cm) deep
- Pick up a light kit to complete your display
#1 – Rivendell (10316) is the Best LEGO Lord of the Rings Set
The only set that could beat Barad-dûr is clearly Rivendell. This might just be the most beautiful set LEGO has ever made. It is absolutely stunning. While not as massively imposing as Barad-dûr it’s actually got more parts!
This was the first of the new LoTR sets to come out, released last year, and you can see the grace and beauty of the of the very Valar in it! It’s got a full inside with details and good playability. The set comes with an impressive 21 mini-figs (twice that of Barad-dûr) almost all of which are unique to this set. It really is a LEGO set like no other and an amazing display piece.
It really is a LEGO set like no other and an amazing display piece inspired by one of the most beautiful locations in Peter Jackson’s movies.
- 6,167 pieces
- 15 minifigures
- 15 in. (39 cm) high / 29.5 in. (75 cm) wide / 19.5 in. (50 cm) deep
- Splits into three sections: the tower, the council ring, and the gazebo with river and bridge
- Add a light kit for a gorgeous nighttime display
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