13 replies to this topic

[Hapori Tohu]

Based on your feedback, our next theme to cover is Lord of the Rings. I'm throwing the other licensed themes that aren't Star Wars in here too just to flesh things out. That includes The Lone Ranger, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Superheroes (sort of). If you'd like to see what happens when LEGO partners with popular intellectual properties, you should read on!

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[Lyichir]

Kind of disagreed with your assessment of the Stagecoach Escape. For only $30, it includes FIVE minifigures and THREE horses, which is quite a lot for a set that size (and the build is fairly substantial as well). When I first saw that price I thought it was a mistake (and for all we know, it may turn out to have been).

 

Also, while the dark orange leaves in the Council of Elrond set are nice, even more impressive are the new Gothic half-arch pieces used on the small building. Lego has needed a piece like that for some time.

 

My favorite set in this group, however, is the Silver Mine Shootout. It feels nostalgically like the Bandit's Secret Hideout, while improving upon that set in almost every way. I don't know if the Lone Ranger movie will be any good, but the sets are phenomenal, and I personally hope it's successful enough to merit a sequel so that more sets like this can be made.

[Dual Matrix]

I really like the Lord of the Rings sets, only why has Gandalf the White exact the same build as Saruman? They would've better made the normal Gandalf white instead of cloning Saruman.

[~~Zarkan~~]

Hey, Andrew, regarding your wish for an Orthanc playset... there are rumors that a UCS Orthanc is coming sometime this year.

[Akano Toa of Electricity]

I am absolutely loving the Wizard Battle set.  Those yellow crystal balls and eye of Sauron will be mine. 8D

The Lone Ranger sets remind me of the Wild West theme; I wonder if they thought now would be a good time to reboot that (kind of like how they rebooted Adventurers in a way with Indy and Pharaoh's Quest...).

[TheSkeletonMan939]

The Lord of the Rings sets look as if they were thrown together in a quick hurry, especially the Black Gate one.

 

And The Council of Elrond is just pathetic.

[Mylo Xyloto]

oh goodness, I'd love to get my hands on some of those LOTR sets!

[InnerRayg]

I really like the aesthetic on those Lone Ranger sets - brings me back to the original cowboy sets, and I like that they've done justice to the whole western scene. The town's the only disappointment for me, after seeing modular western on Cuusoo, but I guess it was inevitable.

[Takuaka: Toa of Time]

Aw, man, I LOVE Toy Fair.

 

I must admit the Iron Man 3 sets were probably what I was looking forward to most here, and was temporarily disappointed when they weren't included here. However, as it was stated that they exist elsewhere, I looked elsewhere and found them. And I must say I love the new suits. And it's especially cool that they included War Machine. (are we allowed to discuss the pictures, though. . . ?) A little odd they didn't give him the patriotic colors, but it makes more sense to start with his normal colors. I wonder if we'll ever see an Iron Man Mark I? That would be cool. . .

 

Ooh, love the Gandalf the White and King Aragorn 'figs. Nice to have Saruman, too, and the eye. I also like that eagle, although it appears the legs have no articulation.

 

I also like the pirate ship, simply because I love pirate ships. I prefer the more "colonial era" ships, but medieval ones are nice, too. I always thought, though, that using ghosts to win the battle for Minas Tirith was a little corny. . . especially since it forced Aragorn to let them go immediately afterward, which was kinda silly.

 

Overall not as impressive as last year's line, but still good.

 

I'll bet the Lone Ranger line is quite nostalgic for some folks. Some have probably been waiting a long time for a new western theme.

 

Not a major western fan myself, but I must say the Lone Ranger stuff looks pretty good. I like those soldiers and especially the train. The train also includes a general or captain soldier, complete with a navy blue version of the new cowboy hat, which is AWESOME.

 

Not a fan of TMNT either, but I like the turtle-people 'figs. And the fact that they're ninjas is an even more amusic concept. Can anyone else see another LoC tribe in here? And hey, is that an evil brain in the one set. . . ? I also like the other 'figs in here, especially the fish guy, the guy that looks kinda like Crash Bandicoot, and the robot ninjas.

 

Aaand other than the fact that the one Man of Steel set I could find pictures of looks cool, that concludes my review.

[Kyrie Eleison]

Oh my.. I MUST have that Mouth of Sauron figure...

[.:Yio:.]

I wonder if the mine shaft Lone Ranger set can be modified to be added onto the larger train set??

 

Just wondering because i noticed that for some reason they've added smaller tracks onto larger tracks in the mine shaft set. Maybe the smaller ones can be removed and then the set can be clipped onto the Train set track? Overall, looks really good, captures the cowboy theme amazingly!

 

Also has anyone else noticed the cavalry set

looks strikingly similiar to this old Western Lego set

 

 

If you pay attention, the flags on both sets are very similiar.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

The Lord of the Rings sets look as if they were thrown together in a quick hurry, especially the Black Gate one.
 
And The Council of Elrond is just pathetic.

I strongly disagree. Personally, I think all of the Lord of the Rings sets this wave do a fantastic job echoing the scenery and atmosphere of the scenes they are meant to depict. The Black Gate set uses some great building techniques to capture its imposing, spiky aesthetic, and the Council of Elrond set makes great use of colors and shapes to really suggest Rivendell with just a small amount of scenery and architecture. I don't think any of the sets look like they were put together in a hurry-- there seems to have been a lot of thought put into how to adequately suggest these scenes while keeping to these various price points.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

The ship for LotR looks really great. Especially with the Ghost Minifigs. I also liked the Black Gates set too. Though I wish they were a little taller.

 

As for the Lone Ranger sets, the train looks good. So does the Stage Coach. I really like the western feel they had.