Tolkien wrote a few times about his character, especially in letters to those who asked. In one such letter to Peter Hastings he says in part,

“I don’t think Tom needs philosophizing about, and is not improved by it. But many have found him an odd or indeed discordant ingredient. In historical fact I put him in because I had already ‘invented’ him independently (he first appeared in the Oxford Magazine) and wanted an ‘adventure’ on the way. But I kept him in, and as he was, because he represents certain things otherwise left out. I do not mean him to be an allegory – or I should not have given him so particular, individual, and ridiculous a name – but ‘allegory’ is the only mode of exhibiting certain functions: he is then an ‘allegory’, or an exemplar, a particular embodying of pure (real) natural science: the spirit that desires knowledge of other things, their history and nature, because they are ‘other’ and wholly independent of the enquiring mind, a spirit coeval with the rational mind, and entirely unconcerned with ‘doing’ anything with the knowledge: Zoology and Botany not Cattle-breeding or Agriculture . Even the Elves hardly show this : they are primarily artists. Also T.B. exhibits another point in his attitude to the Ring, and its failure to affect him. You must concentrate on some pan, probably relatively small, of the World (Universe), whether to tell a tale, however long, or to learn anything however fundamental – and therefore much will from that ‘point of view’ be left out, distorted on the circumference, or seem a discordant oddity. The power of the Ring over all concerned, even the Wizards or Emissaries, is not a delusion – but it is not the whole picture, even of the then state and content of that pan of the Universe.”

To those wishing to read further, we recommend the “Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”. Also, check out some great LOTR LEGO sets. A couple of our favorites are The Mines of Moria and The Battle For Helm’s Deep.

Follow the break for some amazing official imagery and full product details. [Shop LEGO Today!]

(10237) Tower of Orthanc
Ages 14+.  2,359 pieces.
Build the The Lord of the Rings™ trilogy must-have model!
US $199.99 CA $249.99 DE 199.99€ UK 169.99 £ DK  1699.00 DKK

• • Includes a Great Eagle, buildable Ent figure and 5 minifigures with weapons: Saruman with kirtle outfit, Grima Wormtongue, Gandalf™ the Grey, an Uruk-hai™ and the Orc Pitmaster
• • Features 6 highly detailed floors with lots of functions, including a folding staircase, LEGO® light brick palantir, opening entrance doors and a trap door
• • Weapons include 5 staffs, knife, sword, shield and a long axe
• • The attic features a folding staircase, the 3 staffs of the missing wizards, the 2 keys of the Two Towers, 2 maps and an Uruk-hai helmet, shield and sword
• • The library features 2 books, 2 torches, 2 maps and 2 skulls
• • The alchemy room features 2 torches, a bomb (being produced for the Battle of Helm’s Deep™), 2 potions, bottle, skull, gunpowder keg, pot, cauldron and a long axe
• • Saruman’s throne room features lamps, 2 bookcases with 3 potions, map, letter and the powerful palantir with a LEGO light brick
• • The entrance hall features opening doors, trap door, 2 large banners, chandelier, statue and 2 axes
• • The creepy dungeon features a chain, 2 bones, 2 skulls and a rat
• • Buildable Ent features poseable limbs for holding a minifigure and a cool swinging arm function
• • Attack the tower with the cool buildable and poseable Ent!
• • Swoop to the rescue with the Great Eagle!
• • Activate the LEGO light brick and make the palantir glow!
• • Set the trap door and banish unwanted guests to the dungeon!
• • Prepare the bomb for the Battle of Helm’s DeepTM!
• • Swing the Ent’s arms to smash or grab things with the poseable fingers!
• • Measures over 28″ (73cm) high, 8″ (21cm) wide and 6″ (16cm) deep
• • Ent stands over 9″ (23cm) tall

Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning July 2013! Build your Hobbit and LOTR Collection today. [Shop LEGO Today!]

To help capture that excitement, we’ve just opened up a special Flickr gallery just for this purpose. The only rules for the gallery are that you, your family, your pet or something Middle-earth-esque is featured in the photo WITH a copy of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ on Blu-Ray or DVD. Well, and of course keep it family friendly Follow the break to see folks who have already submitted their photos and join in – as and when the home entertainment release of An Unexpected Journey reaches your corner of the world! [Flickr Gallery]

Consumers will have a lot of choices when it comes to which version of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” they decide to have at home. There will definitely be an extended edition in time for the holidays confirmed by a press release from Warner Bros., but the choices are greater than just to get the theatrical version or the extended version.

Those in the U.S. can buy the film March 19, but with a variety of versions, all of which we will detail here. Besides the several formats it will be available in, there are exclusive editions at Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart. But have no fear busy potential consumer, we will make everything clear below, detailing all the versions, the available covers and the in-store exclusives. Interestingly, many theaters are still showing the film which crossed the $1 billion earnings mark over the weekend.

When the “Lord of the Rings,” films were hitting the home video market, many users were also making the late jump from VHS to DVD and those films, for many, were the incentive needed to jump to a new format. This is true now with DVD and Blu-ray although there seems to be much less push from the industry to make that happen, perhaps because of the growing all digital download market. Amazon has versions of all these films and we have the choices below linked if you wish to pre-order there. Doing so earns us a commission so support your friendly not-for-profit website if you are going to buy online. Prices range all over the place, but Amazon seems to be very competitive.  Below are all the versions available supplied to us by the studio along with the official box art. Way down we provide the non-U.S. release dates as well as a link to a useful message board page with further information. Unfortunately for some, “Return of the King,” was the last Middle-earth movie to be released on VHS!

2-disc DVD edition of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

Still watching films old school style? Then the 2-disc special edition DVD is probably for you. It comes with both a DVD of the film and an Ultraviolet copy, which is useful for using the computer on laptops or down the road when it seems likely we will never deal with discs at all. The official information is as follows:

2-Disc Special Edition DVD

o DVD copy of the film

o Ultraviolet copy of the film

o Bonus content includes 10 production videos

2-disc Blu-ray edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

For those who enjoy the superior picture of Blu-ray, and have invested in a player, the combo pack for that format might be the way to go. But, those who will eventually watch Blu-rays, this version also comes with a DVD copy of the film. Personally, I wouldn’t touch the old format, even for the nostalgia of having all the Middle-earth movies lined up together in one packaging line, but including the DVD here makes it a non-choice. WB’s Blu-ray releases are region free, meaning they will play world-wide and aren’t specially coded for regional players. Eventually we will download and watch all movies and rarely bother with discs but for now this is the best format available and I still like to hold a product and packaging in my hands.

Blu-ray™ Combo Pack

o Blu-ray copy of the film

o DVD copy of the film

o Ultraviolet copy of the film

o Bonus content includes 10 production videos

3D Blu-ray combo pack of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

If you are really forward thinking or an early adopter of technology the 3D version of the film will also be available now on Blu-ray as well. You need a 3D television to actually use this version but what do you know, it also comes with a regular Blu-ray copy, a DVD copy and an Ultraviolet copy while the bonus material is the same. This is the one Peter Jackson wants you to buy, or at least watch, to see his personal version of the film. 3D TVs will be more and more affordable and more common. For me the best thing about this version is the fantastic lenticular Gandalf cover. Fortunately there aren’t individual lenticular editions with Thorin, Bilbo, Bombur and the rest of the company on them.
3D Blu-ray™ Combo Pack

o 3D Blu-ray copy of the film

o Blu-ray copy of the film

o DVD copy of the film

o Ultraviolet copy of the film

o Bonus content includes 10 production videos

But the choices are not over. Three big box retailers also have ways to tempt you to buy from their outlet and each definitely has its appeal. Collectors, start giving plasma now because some will want all three. Each version is for the Blu-ray combo pack, which means if you are buying the 3D Blu-ray combo pack, where you buy can be determined solely by price.

The Best Buy exclusive version of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Best Buy’s exclusive comes with a documentary titled: “A Hobbit’s Tale Part 1: The Journey Begins,” and a flip lenticular with Bilbo and Gollum.  No word on who produced this documentary but I have a completely unconfirmed, baseless guess (that I believe to be true) that it comes from the same folks who produced the video blogs, which means they will be excellent. Please don’t base any purchase on my hunches, and you may not blame me or anybody else if that is wrong. TheOneRing will post a review of that content when available. The Best Buy cover is also interesting.

Best Buy – Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with Exclusive Documentary A Hobbit’s Tale Part 1: The Journey Begins and Flip Lenticular

o   Blu-ray copy of the film

o   DVD copy of the film

o   Ultraviolet copy of the film

o   Bonus content includes 10 production videos, as well as exclusive bonus documentary A Hobbit’s Tale Part 1: The Journey Begins

o   Includes exclusive Bilbo/Gollum flip lenticular packaging

Target’s exclusive is LEGO-centric and while I am not a “LEGO guy” and didn’t play with them as a child, these sets have won me over completely and the included Bilbo Baggins minifigure is pretty sweet booty. Those figure characters are absurdly cute but it also contains the exclusive featureete: “LEGO The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” Target probably hopes to sell Hobbit LEGO sets as well as the Blu-ray and for some this will be another no-hesitation choice. It also features unique art that I haven’t seen anywhere else.

Target – Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with Exclusive LEGO® Bilbo Minifigure and behind-the-scenes LEGO Featurette

o   Blu-ray copy of the film

o   DVD copy of the film

o   Ultraviolet copy of the film

o   Bonus content includes 10 production videos, as well as exclusive bonus behind-the-scenes featurette LEGO THE HOBBIT: An Unexpected Journey

o   Includes exclusive LEGO Bilbo Baggins Minifigure

The Wal-Mart exclusive version of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Finally, Wal-Mart weighs in with a third tempting exclusive edition that contains four bonus featurettes (titles below) and a 64-page book, “The World of Hobbits.” Unlike a LEGO figure, it is impossible to know the quality of the book and extra extras until seeing them but just a stab in the dark (a dark, underground cave) but they are probably quite good and may (MAY!) be from the behind-the-scenes team. Wal-Mart is offering a real incentive for those hungry for more information about this film. Fans of Thorin Oakenshield will appreciate him on the cover and again, like the Target edition, the art here is unique as far as I know. From the art provided it looks as if the book is the size of the Blu-ray packaging.

Wal-Mart – Blu-ray™ Book Combo Pack with 64-Page The World of Hobbits Book and Exclusive Digital Featurettes

o   Blu-ray copy of the film

o   DVD copy of the film

o   Ultraviolet copy of the film

o   Bonus content includes 10 production videos, as well as 4 exclusive bonus featurettes entitled The Journey Back to Middle-earth, Bilbo and The Riddle Game, Gandalf and the White Council, and Thorin and the “Song of the Lonely Mountain” accessible digitally through Vudu

o   Includes 64-page The World of Hobbits book within the Blu-ray packaging

The WBshop.com exclusive comes with a panoramic poster that features combat ready dwarves. Pretty cool! Canadians can get it in French with the same cover as Best Buy, except, you know, in French.

Thanks to message board user TheHutt, we also have a fair bit of information about foreign editions of The Hobbit.  I was going to copy it all here, but he has done such a good job presenting it all, that I suggest you simply click here.  Again, collectors, beware, because there are some pretty cool versions listed, like the UK’s Amazon-exclusive Steelbook edition with a lenticular Bilbo / Gollum. Yes, I want it and it would be precious to me.

Some foreign dates are as follows:

UK – April 8

Germany – April 19

Russia – April 11

France – April 19

Italy – April 9

Czech Republic – April 19

The 1977 animated version of The Hobbit by Rankin and Bass.

And hey, you can always get the 1977 Rankin and Bass animated version as well with John Huston!

All these choices certainly are nice for the consumer unless there are completests out there who feel like they need to own them all. (But I confess to wanting some of the non-U.S. versions too!)  Also, some will accuse the studio of “double dipping”  by having a theatrical edition and later, an extended edition with extra content. We disagree with that notion because Warner Bros. has been upfront about the eventual release of both. A true double dip, and the feeling of being ripped off, doesn’t stem from having more than one choice but from a consumer thinking she has purchased the definitive version only to find out later there is another even more definitive version. (Yes Star Wars, we are looking at you but you have plenty of company.)  In this case, we have plenty of advance knowledge of our choices. Further, there will be very likely be a rich supply of quality extras on the extended editions from Pellerin Media, the group that defined what DVD extras should be with the LOTR EEs. That extra content, hopefully wide and deep, will add value to that later release.  Does the studio want to maximize its earnings? Of course, but they are being transparent with consumers. Those wishing only to buy one version will have Netflix or Redbox or neighbors or friends to watch it with in the meantime.

Finally, some will question using the video blogs from Peter Jackson’s Facebook page as extra materials. TheOneRing doesn’t have an official position about it, but as I said and wrote to anybody who would listen as they were released, they are better quality features than most DVD extras anyway. And, chasing them down on Facebook or YouTube is a lot less satisfying for me than watching them in my man cave will be. And, I just think they are that good. I look forward to having them presented on a disc in an organized fashion where I can, if I want, watch them consecutively and really get a good feeling for the shooting of the film.

You can check out a ton of pictures from Figures.Com in their The Lord of the Rings gallery.

You can also check out videos from the booth via FBTB.Com from their The Lord of the Rings video page.

‘The Last March of the Ents’ LEGO model recreates the epic storming of Saruman’s stronghold depicted in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and directly inspired by the artwork of Alan Lee. The base of the model contains many details familiar to fans of the movie including an ent on fire, water flooding Isengard, and Treebeard leading the charge with Merry and Pippin holding on tight.

This is likely to be the last time this creation will be on display publicly. There will also be some new original LEGO creations on display from the members of OneLug, in addition to ‘The Last March of the Ents’. If you don’t want to miss seeing this incredible work of art in person or any of the other wonderful artwork that will be on display, buy a ticket to the art show today!

Join TheOneRing.net for ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ in Los Angeles, California on Friday, February 22, from 7 PM to 1 AM. All ages are welcome to attend. Celebrating The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ will feature inspired art pieces — from paintings, drawings, and illustrations to prints — from a variety of artists. A limited number of tickets are available for $15 online and $20 at the door. ‘An Unexpected Art Show’ will be held at Lot 613, a blank-canvas special events space in the Historic Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, located at 613 Imperial Street.

It’s all part of our Oscar Celebration weekend culminating with ‘The One Expected Party’! Tickets to ‘The One Expected Party’ are still available!

“…in the first days of the North Kingdom , they built a great watch-tower on Weathertop, Amon Sul they called it. It was burned and broken, and nothing remains of it now but a tumbled ring, like a rough crown on the old hill’s head. Yet once it was tall and fair. It is told that Elendil stood there watching for the coming of Gil-Galad out of the West, in the days of the Last Alliance.”

The Attack on Weathertop set with its 430 piece count, is a relatively easy build compared to some of the other larger sets like LEGO’s The Mines of Moria and the massive Helm’s Deep set, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. The bigger sets require a larger time commitment and sometimes it is nice to actually finish a set within a day. To watch Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies and witness Middle-earth come alive is a life long dream for most Tolkien fans, but to actually be able to hold or construct a piece of Middle-earth with your own hands is an incredible feeling.

This set comes with 4 separate bags each labeled to correspond to the actual set piece you are building. The instruction booklet contains 82 full color pages of step by step directions and pictures of some of the other LOTR sets and an advertisement for the LEGO LOTR video game. It also has some very useful extra pages as well. There is a full page parts list that shows every single piece of this set, how many are in the set and what their part number is, so if you lost one you could go to a LEGO outlet and possibly pick up the missing piece. The booklet also has 2 full pages of every minifigure from the entire LOTR line of sets and which set these minifigures can be found in. Included within the set is a LEGO brick separator, which is extremely helpful for taking apart some of the thinner bricks that are stuck together. For little or younger hands this is a must. I can not tell you how many times my children ask me to separate their bricks. Now they will be able to do it themselves. You can go to the LEGO.com website to learn how to use it.

To give you a little background, I have been building with LEGOs as long as I can remember. I think it all started when I would make fortifications for my toy soldiers out of LEGO blocks that were stolen…er…”borrowed” from my older brother’s sets. I would construct these elaborate networks of fortified foxholes, pillboxes and ramparts. In my mind I was building a U. S. version of the famed Maginot Line. That was what was so great with LEGOs, any child, teenager or adult could build anything, it was only limited by their imagination. Over the past few years I have written LEGO customer service more then once, imploring them that they were “missing the boat” on these sets and there was a huge fan base and they would be incredibly popular. I would like to think that I had a hand in getting LEGO to manufacture these sets.   Oddly enough, I still have not heard back from them thanking me for what a great tip that was.

Packaging: 5/5

Like all the other LEGO LOTR sets, the box is awesome. The front of the box has a big picture depicting what the completed set looks like with the minifigures in action. The back has more wonderful pictures showing the set builder a multitude of ways he or she can enjoy playing with the minifigures.

Minifigures: 4/5

This set contains Frodo, Merry, Aragorn,  2 Ringwraiths and 2 black horses. For these LOTR sets, I believe this is the first time LEGO has cast a one piece horse. They look great with red beedy eyes befitting them as steads of the Black Riders. Aragorn looks great and he comes with a two faced head. The one side is “Hey I am a cool Ranger”, the other side is “angry don’t you know I am Isildur’s heir” face. Merry”s head also has two faces which are, “smirking I just played a joke on Frodo” and “angry I cant believe the Ringwraith took the last of my Longbottom leaf”. Frodo’s has two expressions as well, “serious what am I doing here Frodo” and “terrorized holy crap that Ringwraith is coming at me…here…someone take the ring”. My only complaint is there are no faces on the Ringwraiths, I know they really don’t have any, but having red or white glowing eyes peering out of the hood would of looked scary and cool.

The Build: 5/5

Helping me to build the set I had secured the help of my son, Justin who is 9 yrs old, and my daughter Samantha who is 7. I normally call the mischievous duo “Frick and Frack”, but for today’s purpose and in the spirit of LEGO I will refer to them as “Brick and Brack”. Brick has been building LEGO sets since he was 6 and Brack is a comparative newbie doing it for about a year now. Just as fellow TORN staffer MrCere did with his sons on his Helm’s Deep build, we started out taking turns, letting each person finish a step by themselves.  We got thru the first bag of pieces in no time and we were halfway thru the second bag before Brick could not take it any longer and had to play with the Aragorn minifigure. Within minutes Brick was gone with Brack close behind and Aragorn was introduced to fellow LEGO minifigures Batman, Robin, Mr. Freeze, Captain Jack Sparrow, Indiana Jones, and all the characters from Star Wars. I actually think I heard Darth Vader and Yoda arguing how powerful “the force” was within the Ranger. Anyway, I finished the set myself and was done in a little over 2 hours. It was fun and I always enjoy starting to see the build resemble the pictures on the box. The set essentially is the remains of an old tower. There are two levels, with the lower chamber housing some old ruins and weapons. A set of steps lead upwards to a large platform surrounded by crumbling walls and fortifications. The design on some of the brick work is very detailed and looks great.  There is also a little outcrop piece of an old stone wall and a bush to the side. The action that takes place on Weathertop in the books and in the movies are such an integral part of LOTR. It is the closest Sauron comes to gaining possession of the ring and Frodo is almost killed. Somehow LEGO does a good job of making a set that captures that. You can envision the peril Frodo finds himself in with no where to go and Ringwraiths all around him and his friends.

The Weathertop set is also cool in a few ways. First, it has a trap door on the top of one side (not sure why Frodo would not use this to escape when attacked by the Ringwraiths). Second, the set can open and close as it swings on a set of hinges. It changes the layout and gives a child a lot more variations on how to play with it and where he can position the minifigures. It also stores easier when closed. Third, I love the spiral staircase, LEGO engineers never cease to amaze me how they can make something that could be difficult to build come out so easy. As you can see from the pictures it is not a big set but still offers a lot of play value for the money.

The Accessories: 5/5

One of my favorite things about LEGO sets are all the accessories that are included with any set. Even though this is a mid priced set, it still comes with some fun pieces for children to play with. There is a carrot, apple, a bag with a big turkey or chicken leg in it, a fire and pot to cook the food. Also included are seven swords, some spears, a rat and the coolest aspect of the whole set, 3 gold rings. It is nice that extra rings are included since it is inevitable that Frodo is going to lose a ring or two and now you wont have to hear your child cry that Frodo lost the One Ring.

Overall: 4.5/5 

I may be biased towards LEGO because I have been building them my whole life but I think they offer children and adults a lot of entertainment. This set is no different, it may be a bit pricey near $60 for only 430 pieces, but if you are a big LOTR fan like I am, it is worth it.   To me they are educational for developing young minds. To have a child look at a step in the instruction booklet, find the exact piece then put it in its correct position takes some skill and all the while it is a lot of fun for them. The minifigures really add to the value. Most kids really want to play with Frodo, Gollum or Gandalf and it is brilliant marketing on LEGO’s part not to sell the minifigures separately much to the chagrin of parents everywhere. Personally, I want the sets to go along with the minifigures, when I was a kid they did not have minifigures. I can not wait to get my hands on the new LEGO Hobbit sets.

See a full gallery of the build below.

==============

The LEGO® Set is available at all major retailers and the following online stores: LEGO.com | ThinkGeek.com | WBShop.com | SideshowCollectibles.com

‘It is said that the Hornburg has never fallen to assault,’ said Theoden; ‘but now my heart is doubtful. The world changes, and all that once was strong now proves unsure. How shall any tower withstand such numbers and such reckless hate?

It is impossible to even say, “The Battle of Helm’s Deep” aloud without conjuring images from Peter Jackson’s incredible cinematic visuals of mayhem and battle. It was a complex bit of filmmaking on a long, cold, wet shoot that rem

ains legendary among stuntees and actors. Put it on your home theater and viewers cannot turn away.

LEGO faced the daunting task of bringing that movie sequence to life in a toy in a way that would be true to the film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and yet work as a play set. The result is a massive set that retails at about $130 but can be located around $100 a lot of places including Amazon. (Toys-R-Us actually marks it higher online than in stores!) There is also a Urak-Hai Army companion set for around $30 that looks pretty cool on the store shelf but is not part of this review.

OVERVIEW

Before we get into the meat of the review, I must disclose: I have little background with LEGO and am a recent convert. This is a big set and a little bit intimidating for a LEGO novice. But also big is its cool factor. My childhood didn’t include LEGO sets so to keep the child-like elements alive in the building of the sets and to keep the review on the level, I recruited Dresden (10) and Logan (8) to assist in the build and the experience. While they never lost interest in what was happening, they did find other diversions. They would check back with the set often to get progress updates but they didn’t stick around for the entire process.

I also quickly learned that this requires room and dedicated table space. As you will read, I highly recommend this excellent set. I think it compares nicely to any the company has created.

PACKAGING: 5/5

The box is big, the box is beautiful and the box serves its purpose of getting consumers to want this product. It showcases the product exceptionally well with play action on the front and the figure array on the back. See the extensive gallery for images of both. Deeper in the gallery are individual character images.

FIGURES: 5/5

I freely admit that I don’t have a depth of knowledge on the world of LEGO. I do have typing skills however and know all the search engines and that is good enough for me to declare that the King Theoden figure is one of the very best LEGO has ever created. I am tempted to call it the greatest but I don’t quite have the authority to make such declarations. But of the “greatest” lists I found online (and they are fun!), I place Theoden above them all. Why?

His armor is detailed and correct to the character which featured some of Weta’s best armor work ever. His face is just right in both of its moods, his shield is spectacular, his horse is cool as is his sword with an cherry-on-top helm.  Great, great figure that I hope Bernard Hill cherishes. But, as fate and toy makers would have it, he isn’t alone. A wonderful Gimli is here as is Haldir, Aragorn a awesome Beserker Uruk-hai and three other regulation Uruk-hai. In fact, the Beserker Uruk would be a contender for best all-time figure as well up there for me with Skeleton, UFO Alien, Indian Chief and Indiana Jones. Gimli checks in right around Darth Vadar levels in my book. (Which I am in danger of actually starting.) Long story short (too late) the figures alone for this set are a delight. A Grima Wormtongue character, even though he fled before the battle would have the bee’s knees.

THE BUILD: 4.5/5

Make no mistake, a set such as this is a financial commitment and to complete it takes a time commitment as well. In the best way possible, it qualifies as an epic toy. Open the box and out slides eight packages and instruction booklets.

After building the first bag, the builder is pleased by what he has but also aware of how much more there is to go. At this point there was enough reward to give Dresden and Logan a feeling of accomplishment but they were happy to back off. The excitement of something new faded and the meat of the work and the set was left. Acting as both photographer and builder and note-taker, it is difficult to gauge how long this would take an average LEGO vet. But the time spent building is part of the fun and definitely rewards the user with something to show after each of the bags is opened, sorted through and finished.

The main keep is the core of the set with just the right peripherals to give a sense of fun from the film. There is the center of the fortress and then the outer ring. The main doors, big enough for Theoden to ride his horse out of, open down a ramp (with a humorous little extra inside) to face the mass of four Uruk-hai. With his battle face on, there is some kid pleasure still in this adult that made it a lot of fun to pose the king on the cusp of battle.

But not only is the main gate part of the set, so is the exploding wall, the Beserker, his Olympic-flame torch and Sauruman’s hidden gunpowder in-a-bomb-at-the-hidden-stream trick; all of this in a separate packet. Gimli and Aragorn can lead a surprise attack out the side door and of course, the bearded one can be launched across the gap. Dresden and Logan got a real kick out of the wall flying to pieces while I had more fun with the Uruk siege ladder but we broke up the build sessions by doing one or two mini-bags of the set at a time.

Watching the tower on the inner ring and its Horn of Helm Hammerhand come together was perhaps the highlight of the process. Its existence in the LEGO universe is enough to cause a fan to break into a smile; This is a perfect blend of toy, J.R.R. Tolkien legend and Peter Jackson’s film realized in a construction kit. Fun stuff. Gimli of course fits nicely in front of the mouthpiece and only if it actually sounded a long, deep call would it get any better.

There is also an inner keep with great extras like the king’s throne, a castle rat, a goblet and food items. In the end, the toy is a multi-leveled, multi-layered grand construction kit.

The only fault lies in how some of the sub-kits connect to form the big pieces. Perhaps because of the construction foreman (me) or perhaps because things just weren’t exactly right, there were some lose connections, especially at the top of the mini-sets. This wasn’t that big of a deal but on a set this good it was the only letdown.

THE DISPLAY: 5/5

Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give to this LEGO set is that it found a place in my permanent display collection — see the photo gallery. It’s footprint isn’t insignificant but on top of a bookshelf in my Man Cave, there sits LEGO’s The Battle for Helm’s Deep. The real challenge for for future LEGO set (well, for me for LEGO, I am sure LEGO isn’t going to take this on) is to see if any can displace this one’s display spot. Of those currently released, only the hard to find Orc Forge set has any chance. The Lurtz character is fantastic and I really have a soft spot for cinematic bad guys.

“From the LEGO Games collection that can be built, played, and changed to create a unique gaming experience every time comes The Hobbit Game from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey move hitting theaters Dec. 14th. Bilbo Baggins lives in the quaint village of Hobbiton, but today his comfort has been shattered by the arrival of 13 Dwarves. They have convinced Bilbo to embark on a most unexpected journey. But first Gandalf, along with the Dwarves Dwalin, Kili and Fili, must find the other ten Dwarves who are lost in the Hobbit holes of Hobbiton. Features buildable dice, microfigure characters: Gandald, Dwalin, Kili or Fili, and LEGO building instructions.

· Ages 7+

· 2-4 players

· Available Oct. 1st.

· SRP: $34.99

The epic journey of the first installment of The Hobbit is coming to the board game aisle with the launch of our very first LEGO Games The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. To celebrate, we’re launching a new LEGO® Games The Hobbit™ “Roll to Win Giveaway” on our LEGO Games Facebook page! Beginning Oct. 8th, fans get to roll a virtual dice for the chance to win prizes, including a grand prize package featuring the new board game, all new LEGO The Hobbit™ construction sets, LEGO Games’ own “Host a Family Game” kit and two movie ticket vouchers to see the real journey in theaters.”

At the end of the second week in September a cart came in through Bywater from the direction of Brandywine Bridge in broad daylight.  An old man was driving it all alone.  He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat. Small hobbit-children ran after the cart all through Hobbiton and right up the hill.  It had a cargo of fireworks, as they rightly guessed. — From A Long-Expected Party, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

In Peter Jackson’s LOTR film, the first moment of Gandalf arriving in Hobbiton and finding Frodo waiting on the trail were critical because it established two essential characters and the setting of Hobbiton. It also introduced audiences to the scale of Hobbits with human-sized characters including forced perspective of Frodo riding in Gandalf’s cart.

The meeting serves as the entry point for Lord of the Rings LEGO as well with set 9469 introducing important characters in an easy-to-build kit that is also easy to afford at $12.99 retail in the U.S. It will likely find itself as birthday present to and from friends many times over. Because it is recommended for ages eight to 14, I enlisted Logan (8) and Dresden (10), to assist with the build of the kit.

OVERVIEW

To be transparent, it was also my first ever LEGO kit. Even as a kid, while I probably played with the bricks here and there, I never had one set of my own to start and finish on my own. The instructions are visual, not written, serving the several languages the sets are sold to. LEGO vets will be used to that but it was new to me and probably a lot of other potential builders as well.

I didn’t know what to expect so I took the instruction booklet’s visual advice and put everything on a table to start. The set came together quickly as my two child testers and I took turns completing one page each at a time and then observing until it was our turn again. Things fell into place nicely and with such a small kit it was easy to see immediately where things were going.

By far the most interesting bits were crafting characters together and I was stuck with the horse while Gandalf and Frodo were battled over. I realize there may be expert LEGO craftsman out there reviewing kits and finding nits to pick, I confess to not only not being aware of what others have written about the set but carefully avoiding any opinions so as not to cloud my own.

PACKAGING: 5/5

The box is modest sized, easily fitting in one hand, clearly labeled as a Lord of the Rings set in three languages on the side with a clear picture of what is actually found inside on the cover. The branding is clear and pleasing with the appropriate logo and the finger of the book’s title character wearing the One Ring.

The nice matte painting in the background of the set on the cover isn’t inside of course. The back of the box showcases some of the play scenes you can expect to re-create. It also teases to the LOTR LEGO video game, something I am quite looking forward to. The bricks come in separate plastic bags and like my colleague Chris in his review of the Shelob Attacks set, I expected the items to be organized per bag as they would be needed to build. Not so. I found it easiest to just open everything as construction starts and set everything out flat to unhide it all.

The booklet’s visuals were clear and easy and I loved the last couple of marketing pages that showed the Mines of Moria kit (also reviewed by TheOneRing.net) and then a two-page spread of many of the characters available in the various LOTR sets on the market.

FIGURES (Gandalf, Frodo, horse): 5/5

Without a doubt, the highlight of this kit, maybe of all LOTR kits are the characters. LEGO wisely puts them in pieces, asking the user to build. This allows for mix-and-match parts, something funny and easy in the series of LEGO video games and a bit of a chuckle to try in hands-on play as well.

The articulation is minimal but the characters, particularly Gandalf, are fun. Our team was surprised how un-wizard like he looked until he put his beard on. The hat helped but the long gray whiskers were the ultimate transformation tool. However the hat mostly covers his detailed brow while the beard covers his mouth, leaving only his eyes. Gandalf has a single expression, fine since it is hidden anyway. Frodo is displayable with his whimsical half smile or with his worried expression. I suspect nearly everybody will prefer the humorous version but it is nice to have choices here. His hair also made us laugh for it evokes a 70′s disco feeling and yet is correct for Frodo. I wish they had included character cards, probably something LEGO has never done, but I wanted anyway. On one side would be my figure, one for each in the box, and on the back would be a LOTR figure checklist with character names and the set number where they can be found. (LEGO marketing, I am available, give me a call anytime.) My only criticism, and it is so minor I hesitated to mention it, is not being able to see Gandalf’s face better. It just got lost between his low hat and high beard.

THE WAGON: 4/5

The bulk of the kit is the wagon. It builds quickly and intuitively but it isn’t overly simple. It has hinges and wheels with axles and it holds barrels, mail and a rider. Both young testers had no trouble at all following the build and easily accomplishing what is asked of them on their turn. It looks good with layered colored bricks, making it feel both film and LEGO appropriate. It hitches nicely to the horse and displays well.

My inexperienced LEGO team did have trouble with Gandalf and the cart. He is shown sitting on the box and we found that a little challenging to make look good and to make stable. His long staff and long cloak made that a challenge. We ended up just standing him up in the cart, easier all around but not film accurate. We didn’t mind.

ACCESSORIES: 5/5

The details really make this all work and LEGO included several great ones. The existence of fireworks here not only is fun and appropriate, it creates an instant longing for Merry and Pippin with soot blackened faces. The great dragon firework is prominent with two other generic ones. Also present is a gigantic book for Frodo that may indeed double as a shield to stop arrows. A carrot and a letter round out the items to fill the cart with and each is as adorable as the next and the combination of all adds the finishing touches that push the set into the must-own zone.

SUMMARY: 5/5

This is an entry level set both in difficulty and price point. It was easy for my child test subjects but also so quick that it didn’t come close to taxing their attention span. (Something I cannot say for the Battle of Helm’s Deep set, review pending.) As I am sure it is designed to do, it offers a way to inexpensively sample the LOTR LEGO world.

The figures are great and the wagon is probably routine for experienced builders but it simply got me interested in finding something more challenging. I would be surprised if the LEGO-building teens didn’t find this too simple but the cost is right and for those collecting LOTR figures and sets, getting Gandalf and Frodo together is fun. It also displays nicely. Gandalf will likely be immediately on loan to other sets and would fit nicely in the Mines of Moria kit.

So, really, this thing’s cuteness meter is so high it will burn your eyes like an onion. Why are toys made from LOTR movies adorable? I don’t know. But they are!

While this has been out in retail for a couple of months, I know many people consider LEGO sets for events and holidays such as Christmas. Those of you who have this set please leave further feedback on our message boards. If you are thinking about a purchse, please do so below so LEGO knows we sent you.

Coming soon: Our mammoth review of the mammoth The Battle of Helms Deep set review and gallery.

Here is the official LEGO info:
Gandalf™ Arrives
Item: 9469
Pieces: 83
Join Gandalf the Grey as he travels to the Shire to celebrate the 111th birthday of his old friend Bilbo Baggins and relive the opening scene of The Fellowship of the Ring! As Gandalf makes his way through the Shire on his horse and cart, he meets an excited young hobbit, Frodo Baggins. This is where the legendary adventure of The Lord of the Rings begins! Includes 2 minifigures: Gandalf the Grey and Frodo Baggins.

Purchase: Gandalf Arrives

Click the pictures below for much larger versions.

MrCere is Larry D. Curtis, a Senior Staff member for TheOneRing.net. He is a writer, photographer, traveler, social media manager, journalist, content manager and this review and his opinions are his own and do not officially represent TheOneRing.net. You can reach him at MrCere@TheOneRing.net with questions, comments or on other matters. He generally likes email. Twitter: @MrLDC