Lego’s Shire Set Should’ve Been More Hobbit-Sized

After galore years distant successful the aftermath of the Hobbit films’ releases, Lego’s Lord of the Rings enactment has firmly established itself arsenic 1 of the ceramic maker’s yearly treats, archetypal delivering an incredible, lush replica of Rivendell successful 2023, and past the daunting acheronian tower of Barad-Dûr past year. In 2025 Lego is taking to bosom the lessons astatine the halfway of the films and embracing the finer parts of a quiet, peaceful beingness by visiting the Shire and the opening enactment of Fellowship of the Ring. But portion hobbits flooded the prejudices of their halfling stature with the qualities of immoderate of the different mortal races of Middle-earth, possibly this latest merchandise mightiness person been amended served by going smaller alternatively than bigger.

Lego precocious provided io9 with a transcript of the latest Lord of the Rings Icons bid set, the Shire, for review. After a suitably relaxed play tinkering distant astatine the set, we’re present to archer you what works—and what doesn’t—as Lego continues to carve retired immoderate of Middle-earth’s astir celebrated locales.

How agelong does it instrumentality to physique Lego’s Lord of the Rings Shire set?

Clocking successful astatine 2,017 pieces, the Shire is the smallest of the 3 Icons bid entrants for Lord of the Rings truthful acold by a important margin. It’s not lone that that makes it a overmuch swifter build: the Shire is breached down into 1 superior show piece—an unenclosed replica of Bag End arsenic it appears successful the opening of Fellowship of the Ring—and past a bid of unconnected mini builds to presumption astir it, including Gandalf’s equine and fireworks cart, and respective pieces to replicate Bilbo’s day celebrations astatine the Shire’s Party Tree that are overmuch little intricate.

Even Bag End is breached down into 3 abstracted builds, truthful portion comparatively varied, it’s elemental enough. Depending connected your pace, you could easy implicit the physique successful six to 8 hours implicit the people of an afternoon. You could instrumentality a truly hobbit-inspired agelong play and bash it slowly, should you truthful desire.

How galore minifigures are successful Lego’s Lord of the Rings Shire set?

The Shire comes with 9 minifigures, 1 quality (well, human-ish), and 8 hobbits: Gandalf the Grey, Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry and Pippin, Rosie Cotton, and past Farmer Proudfoot and his wife. Rosie and the Proudfoots are making their minifigure debut here, portion Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Bilbo person updated printing to springiness them outfits inspired by their appearances astatine Bilbo’s 111th day bash to differentiate them from the versions that came successful 2023’s Rivendell set. Frodo and Sam are present the lone Lord of the Rings characters to person travel with each of the Icons sets truthful far!

Every minifigure prevention for Rosie comes with a suitable related accessory. Gandalf has his wizard unit and an array of fireworks for his cart, arsenic good arsenic alternate parts to picture him without his chapeau connected oregon to beryllium riding his cart (which Frodo besides includes, to beryllium alongside him). Merry and Pippin see alternate hairsbreadth pieces to recreate the infinitesimal they dramatically acceptable disconnected Gandalf’s dragon firework, Bilbo has the One Ring, Farmer Proudfoot has a broom, Mrs. Proudfoot has a peculiarly ample parsnip, and Sam has a brace of plot shears. You know, for erstwhile helium ain’t droppin’ nary eaves, sir.

Is Lego’s Lord of the Rings Shire acceptable hard to build?

Unlike Rivendell and Barad-Dûr, the Shire is the simplest Lord of the Rings set, architecturally speaking, truthful far. There are immoderate amusive details present and there, particularly however the beforehand extremity of Bag End is built, filled with small neat details similar the wattle obstruction and rounded windows—but the interior to the hobbit spread is comparatively plain tiny and plain successful comparison, with conscionable 3 tiny vignettes successful the signifier of Bilbo’s study, the kitchen, and the entranceway hallway included. It’s a marked betterment connected the much-smaller scaled mentation of Bag End Lego released successful 2012 for the Hobbit line, but considering this has conscionable implicit 3 times the pieces (and costs significantly more; much connected that later), that’s not excessively surprising.

It helps past that a chunk of the parts number is taken up by smaller outer builds arsenic good to recreate Bilbo’s enactment country to debar Bag End from becoming excessively intricate: a barroom stand, a tiny structure (under which you tin spot a circular greenish mound to works Merry and Pippin’s ill-gotten firework successful the ground), and the Party Tree itself, to which a replica of the dragon firework tin beryllium attached. However, each 3 are comparatively insignificant distractions from the superior absorption of the set, for amended oregon worse.

Is Lego’s Shire acceptable amended for Lego fans oregon Lord of the Rings fans?

If you’re coming to the Shire for a analyzable physique connected the level of either Rivendell oregon Barad-Dûr, you’re not going to get it. While Bag End itself is nice, and has immoderate amusive small engineering details—a peculiar item is simply a turning mechanics successful its fireplace, truthful you tin rotate a burning missive retired with a hidden One Ring to recreate the infinitesimal Gandalf and Frodo trial to spot if it truly is the fabled ringing of power. But the outer structures for Bilbo’s enactment are incredibly basic, to the constituent of feeling similar unnecessary padding to the build. The Party Tree is paradoxically 1 of the worst and champion parts of the build: the included cloth banner for Bilbo’s day is wonderful, arsenic is the cute mechanical effect to rotate portion of the basal truthful you tin picture Bilbo disappearing with the ring, but the histrion itself looks awful for what is meant to beryllium a high-end set. The random trees successful Rivendell are overmuch much lavish and extravagant contempt besides being basal builds, and the included histrion looks much similar a twig than the large, lush 1 we spot successful the film.

And that’s benignant of the slayer occupation with the set. Bag End looks and feels bully arsenic a show portion for Lord of the Rings fans, but it besides feels similar it could’ve looked nicer, if its parts number had been dedicated to giving much country successful the exterior, oregon adjacent a much enclosed exterior covering it. The other builds for Bilbo’s enactment person cute details those fans volition besides appreciate, but they’re truthful basal (and, dissimilar successful either Rivendell oregon Barad-Dûr’s cases, they’re not portion of a larger show base) they conscionable consciousness vestigial. If you emotion hobbits and the Shire’s aesthetic, the acceptable looks the part, but past you get to the other Oliphaunt successful the room.

How overmuch is Lego’s Lord of the Rings Shire set? Is it worthy the price?

The Shire volition outgo you a whopping $260, which is admittedly acold little whopping than the eye-watering prices for Rivendell ($500) and Barad-Dûr ($460), but it’s besides a acold lesser acceptable than either of those 2 successful examination for that price. The physique is little interesting, adjacent earlier you question implicit whether oregon not the ancillary builds are really worthy including. The minifigures, portion bully and due for the setting, don’t basal retired successful the mode either Rivendell oregon Barad-Dûr’s enactment did. In this economy, oregon immoderate other, adjacent with Lego’s progressively premium prices, $260 feels similar a leap you couldn’t adjacent flip a dwarf for.

Either a much elaborate Bag End for a akin price, oregon a smaller-scaled acceptable that chopped the other builds (and possibly a fewer minifigures) but came successful astatine $200 mightiness person made the sting a small little pointed. But successful spite of their overmuch higher terms (and, fixed that they’re exclusively disposable done Lego, discounts are rarer than mithril), either Rivendell oregon Barad-Dûr marque amended choices for Lego or Lord of the Rings fans to spell for than this.

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