Where was Gondor? Well, it’s finally here (after we speculated about it some years ago)!
Minas Tirth, LEGO’s epic addition to its Lord of the Rings line has been available for the past month, and the reviews have been as welcoming as ringing silver trumpets from the White Tower of Ecthelion as they call her denizens homeward. Even with a price point that leans more toward high-end collectors, this first Gondorian offering has received accolades for balancing a grand scale with memorable micro scenes; exclusive mini-figures like Faramir, Denethor, and Shadowfax; and for the mathematically minded, even a price per its 8,278 pieces that is remarkably good for a licensed set at this scale.
Plus some of us had to wait a month to receive this masterwork as our birthday present, my precious. No murder was involved. We also received the gift of some deeper insight into how the Tower of the Guard moved from concept to our ever more crowded shelves. Read on to find out more, in our interview with LEGO designer François Zapf.
The OneRing.net had the opportunity to celebrate the arrival of the White City in a conversation with its designer, François Zapf.
Decision making
TheOneRing: What were some of your more difficult creative choices that you had to make as you designed the Minas Tirith set? Were there things that you wished you could have incorporated, but that got left on the ‘cutting room floor’? Were there features that you fought for and were able to get included?
François Zapf: The hardest calls were always about scale versus story. Every interior location we included meant real estate that couldn’t go elsewhere, and Minas Tirith has so many spaces that matter to people. Our focus was on including the locations that best captured the story we wanted to tell within the model.
A key design priority for me was preserving the details of the upper city. There was a point where it would have been easier to simplify the microscale sections to keep the piece count manageable, but I felt strongly that if you’re going create the Minas Tirith, you have to do the silhouette justice. The layering of those walls, the way the city climbs the rock – that’s the whole point of it.
Preserving the silhouette
Working within LEGO constraints
OneRing: Given any LEGO design has to work within a set colour palette and collection of piece shapes, are there particularly creative ways that you were able to apply the standard LEGO collection to the Minas Tirith design? Are there any custom shapes or colours that you were able to integrate into this set? If so, what’s the process like to get approval for customised pieces and shapes?
FZ: Working within the existing palette is one of the most creatively stimulating constraints while designing at the LEGO Group. Minas Tirith is essentially white stone, but “white” in LEGO brick terms is more nuanced than it sounds. We used combinations of light grey, white, and tan LEGO bricks to suggest age, weathering and depth, giving the city that sense of having stood for thousands of years rather than looking freshly painted.
To achieve a structure as complex as Minas Tirith, we had to get creative with a wide variety of existing LEGO elements. One of my favourite techniques was using the D-SNOT [studs not on top] element to create the city’s arches and windows and repurposing a cockpit canopy piece to form part of the upper wall. Finding unexpected uses for familiar elements is one of the most enjoyable parts of the design process. Where new elements or colours are introduced, they’re carefully considered to ensure they meaningfully enhance the final model. We always look for opportunities to achieve the desired result with existing elements in creative ways, introducing new moulds or colours only where they add genuine value to the build experience or final model.
Capturing Minas Tirith’s upper wall
OneRing: The Minas Tirith set echoes the design approach we’ve seen in other LEGO sets like Barad-dûr and Orthanc — a smaller scale exterior and a larger scale interior on the opposite side of the model. What’s your approach for deciding what to include in that larger scale set of interior features? And were there particular figures that you left out, given those design choices?
FZ: The LEGO Icons line has refined this hybrid approach across several models, and Minas Tirith is one of the most ambitious examples we’ve created. The interior spaces were chosen based on a combination of their significance to the story and how well they translate into a three-dimensional LEGO build. The throne room was a natural choice, as it delivers both an iconic moment from the films and a rewarding building experience. When it came to the LEGO Minifigures, our goal was to include the characters that best complement the key locations and scenes represented in the model. As with any LEGO set, there are more characters and moments from the story than can fit into a single build, so we focused on creating a cohesive experience that balances display, storytelling and the building journey.
A maxi array of noble mini figures
Secrets to be found…
OneRing: To the extent you can tell us about them, are there any Easter eggs that you’ve hidden within this set that you think will bring particular joy to Middle-earth LEGO set collectors?
FZ: There are a few, and I’ll be deliberately vague because I want people to find them. What I’ll say is that we were very conscious of the broader Lord of the Rings fan community. Fans who know not just the films but the books, and who will appreciate references that go beyond what’s on screen. There’s at least one detail in the set that I expect to generate some great discussion online when someone spots it.
Is there an Easter egg in the library?
OneRing: To what degree did either Warner Bros./New Line or the Tolkien Estate have an influence on the design? Did you have to go through any particular hurdles or hoops to create what you sought to deliver in this Minas Tirith set?
FZ: The IP Partner relationship is genuinely collaborative rather than restrictive. The Warner Bros. Discovery team are deeply knowledgeable about this IP and they care about it. The review process was collaborative throughout. Both teams shared a commitment to faithfully capturing the look and feel of Minas Tirith, and those discussions helped refine the final model.
Collaborating in the throne room over chicken and tomatoes…
Part of the fandom
OneRing: What has been your own experience with the writings of JRR Tolkien and the world of Middle-earth? How did your familiarity with The Lord of the Rings books or films influence your design process and the ultimate Minas Tirith end product?
FZ: As a fan myself, I wanted the model to capture the same sense of awe I felt the first time I saw Minas Tirith on screen. Throughout the design process, our goal was to stay as faithful as possible to the film reference and recreate the iconic look of the city in LEGO form. For this set, our primary visual reference was the film trilogy, so the model reflects that interpretation of Minas Tirith. For example, that’s why the outer walls are light in colour instead of black. Ultimately, I hope the model gives fans the same feeling of wonder and excitement they experienced when they first saw Minas Tirith in The Lord of the Rings films.
Plenty of wonder and excitement…
OneRing: If budget and set size were not a constraint, what would you have created in comparison to the Minas Tirith set that is being released?
FZ: One of the fun things about questions like this is imagining what’s possible without real-world constraints. A full Siege of Minas Tirith diorama would certainly be an incredible display, but the released model captures the story and build experience we most wanted to bring to fans.
At least early orders got a Grond!
What might be next?
OneRing: We’ve seen a large number of Middle-earth LEGO creations over the years. Do you have a personal favourite (besides Minas Tirith, obviously)? Is there a new Middle-earth design still out there that you’d like to take on?
FZ: The LEGO Lord of the Rings: The Tower of Orthanc holds a special place for me. It was one of the sets that showed what was possible with LEGO bricks at that scale, and it’s aged remarkably well.
Middle-earth offers an incredible variety of locations and architectural styles, making it a particularly inspiring world to design within. As a fan, there are many memorable locations whose architecture is fascinating to imagine recreating in LEGO bricks.
Orthanc — a LEGO classic!
OneRing: What have been some of the other LEGO sets that you’ve designed that are your personal favourites? How long have you been designing such sets?
FZ: One of my personal favourite sets is the Modular Tudor Corner. It was the second set I worked on, and I have a lot of fond memories of that project. I particularly enjoyed translating the unique Tudor-style architecture into LEGO building techniques. I’ve been designing LEGO sets for more than three years now, and one thing that always surprises people is how long these projects take. Large display models like Minas Tirith can take many months to design, with a lot of iteration and fine-tuning to get both the look and the building experience just right.
Tudor Corner with LEGO designers Ashwin Visser and François Zapf.
OneRing: Given the growth of third-party lighting kits for LEGO models, do you end up including design features that will play to those possible lighting sets? Is that the case with this Minas Tirith set?
FZ: At the LEGO Group, we design first and foremost around the building experience – how the model comes together. How each section of the set reveals itself, how the finished structure feels in your hands whilst you’re building and how it looks on display. We wanted the spaces to feel rich and dimensional, not just visually from the outside, but as places you enjoy constructing and exploring throughout the build. While we don’t design around third-party products, those choices naturally create areas that builders may choose to personalise their own may. I’m excited to see how LEGO builders make it their own.
Excited about making it my own!
Many thanks to François Zapf for taking the time to field our questions – even enigmatically! We look forward to whatever you may be designing next.
Officially licensed D20 now available from Q Entertainment.
Targeted for TCG players, these new dice sets feature new artwork inspired by The Hobbit movie trilogy from Warner Bros and Peter Jackson. Available now in EU via Q Workshop direct and coming soon to Amazon and local game shops.
Dice Preview
A complete bundle made for playing and collecting! Inspired by The Hobbit, this premium collectible product line combines cohesive design, clear functionality, and strong tabletop presence. Carefully planned sets also replace tokens and markers with intuitive dice solutions, delivering clarity, order, and visual consistency across play, display, and retail presentation.
Cohesive Design System – All products follow a unified visual language inspired by one consistent theme of The Hobbit franchise.
Gameplay First – Dice replace tokens and markers, improving clarity, speed, and table organization.
High Perceived Value – Large sets, jumbo elements, and premium finishes support impulse and bundle sales.
Retail & B2B Ready – Easy to display, visually distinctive, and well-suited for bundles and promotions.
Officially Licensed – Official Warner Bros license for Q WORKSHOP,
Already a week has passed since Middle-earth March Madness for 2026 came to a close. Thanks to all who voted, discussed, debated, and generally played along! This year our theme was ‘Clash of the Collectibles’; our team of volunteer staffers offered their own favourite collectibles, and then we voted to get that down to 64 items, which became our opening bracket:
Three weeks and six rounds of voting ensued. With thousands of votes placed throughout the contest, we saw items we thought might go all the way – such as LEGO sets and Weta environments – fall in earlier rounds. Finally, just two items remained…
Stained glass vs DVDs
Talk about a David and Goliath match up! Some of the best selling DVDs of all time – the extended editions of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, in box set with collectible statues – versus hand-made, original designs from an independent artist, Geek Orthodox.
At first the contest seemed like it was going to be fairly one-sided, with the DVDs taking an early lead. Gradually, though, the stained glass came back. The final vote margin was 56% to 44% , with the winner being…
Congratulations to Geek Orthodox! A worthy champion, as a creator of unique, beautiful pieces – check them out here.
Here’s how the completed bracket looked:
Thanks again to all who joined the fun. If you have ideas for a future March Madness theme, please let us know – email spymaster@theonering.net See you same time, same place, next year!
Don’t forget, you can always join the discussion with fellow fans, at the Collectibles channel on our Discord.
Middle-earth March Madness for 2026 is drawing to a close. We started with 64 items in our ‘Clash of the Collectibles’ themed contest; now just two remain. And it’s time for you to vote for the one you would like to see crowned Grand Champion 2026!
Argonath vs Argonath
The first semi final was between the only statuary piece to make it this far (the Argonath bookends) and the DVD box sets of Peter Jackson’s movies – which could have meant any of the extended edition box sets which came with statues, but we used The Fellowship of the Ring set to illustrate the bracket. So it ended up being Pillars of the Kings vs the colossi of the River Anduin (with some DVDs thrown in for good measure…)
If you think it seems unlikely that people would vote for Argonath alone over bookends PLUS movies, you’d be right! This rather unfair match up saw the box sets take almost four fifths of the votes.
A much tougher battle in the other Semi Final
There were two artisanal pieces in this dual – the Red Book of Westmarch prop replica from Magnoli Props vs the stained glass art of Geek Orthodox. Both stunning, both highly desirable pieces to add to any collection. It was certainly a tough battle. In the end, perhaps folks voted for original art over replica; whatever the reason behind the choices, Geek Orthodox won by 55% to 45%.
How the bracket looks for our final show down:
Championship Round
How to decide?!
Those DVD box sets include all the wonders of Peter Jackson’s movies (in extended format). Surely a must-have for collectors? But what if you’re a book purist rather than a movie fan? Geek Orthodox’s gorgeous, original art presents a different view of Middle-earth, unconfined by PJ’s vision and instead going back to the Professor’s words for inspiration. If you had to pick just one – do you go with movies and statues in a box set, so you can revisit the New Zealand version of Tolkien’s realm any time you want? Or do you adorn your home with beautiful representations of the places you visit between the pages; perhaps making a cosy room feel like your own slice of the Shire, ready for you to curl up with a book and head back to Arda? From a collecting point of view, which is more – shall we say – precioussss….?
It’s a tough choice – and it’s YOUR choice! Time to vote! But how does it work, I hear you ask. Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, region by region. Click on FINAL 4 (at the right hand side) to open the final match up – and there place your vote in the Championship round. Let’s get voting!
You have until 5.45pm PT on Tuesday April 14th t o vote in this final Round. We’ll close voting during TORn Tuesday and then reveal the WINNER. What will be crowned Grand Champion? Place your votes now!
Let us know YOUR thoughts – join the discussion with fellow fans, at the Collectibles channel on our Discord.
The final battles have been fought within the four regions, and now we reach the semi-final in this year’s Middle-earth March Madness – Clash of the Collectibles. Who were the winners in each of the categories?Let’s take a look:
Connecting to Middle-earth through favourite figures
The final in this region saw the Argonath bookends take on Prime 1’s Balrog vs Gandalf, a piece which had been a surprise victor over Weta Workshop’s Master Collection ‘The Fellowship’. This time, however, its luck had run out – the Argonath bookends won, though with a margin of just 8%.
Argonath bookends
Experiencing Middle-earth in Print and Music
This seemed a little unfair: DVD Box Sets vs the movie soundtracks. If you have the DVDs, you get the films AND the soundtrack, so surely it’s no contest? Maybe – but even so, almost one third of votes placed were for the soundtracks. Howard Shore’s music is beloved indeed. Nonetheless, the Box Sets move on to the Final Four.
Semi Final sees Argonath against Argonath
Inhabiting Middle-earth through Environments and Replicas
Weta Workshop‘s Rivendell took on the Red Book of Westmarch prop replica – two stunning pieces, but only one can make the Semi Final. It was a very tough battle – votes went almost 50/50, and in the end there was just 2% in it! The Red Book (West)marches into the Final Four.
The Red Book
Playing in Middle-earth with toys, games and other curiosities
That Hobbiton Green Dragon mug is absolutely lovely – but Geek Orthodox is on a roll, and proved victorious once again, securing three fifths of the vote.
More incredible stained glass art
How the bracket looks now:
Final Four
It’s Argonath against Argonath – bookends vs DVD box sets with statues. The outcome of that dual is obvious, surely…? The other semi final sees two mighty masterpieces face off – the Red Book prop replica from Magnoli vs the stunning stained glass of Geek Orthodox. That is a tough choice indeed! Which would you want to see in the Final?
Time to vote! But how does it work, I hear you ask. Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, region by region. Click on FINAL FOUR (at the right hand side) to open the semi final pairings – and there place your vote. Let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Friday April 10th to vote in Round Five; Saturday April 11th we’ll launch the GRAND FINAL, the winner of which will be revealed on TORn Tuesday next week. Which of the Final Four do you want to see as Grand Champion? Place your votes now!
Let us know YOUR thoughts – join the discussion with fellow fans, at the Collectibles channel on our Discord.
Already we’re down to just EIGHT items remaining in the Clash of Collectibles – this year’s Middle-earth March Madness. Here’s how the bracket looks:
Connecting to Middle-earth through favourite figures
Perhaps surprisingly, BOTH Weta Workshop items were defeated in this region, with the Balrog taking out the entire Fellowship, and the Argonath conquering Bilbo in Bag End. So now we see if Aragorn’s ancestors can beat the ancient, (winged?) demon.
Prime 1 Gandalf vs Balrog statue
Experiencing Middle-earth in Print and Music
Another upset of sorts here – both the Maps and Tolkien’s own art have fallen at this fence! So now we face a tough decision: soundtrack vs DVDs. If you had to save only one, which would you choose?
As it’s the DVD box set with statues, we’ve got two sets of Argonath in the Elite Eight!
Inhabiting Middle-earth through Environments and Replicas
Weta Workshop’s Rivendell survived the Sweet Sixteen round; their Edoras environment, however, was not so lucky! Now Rivendell faces off against the incredible Red Book of Westmarch prop replica.
The Red Book
Playing in Middle-earth with toys, games and other curiosities
This writer has been proved SO wrong. I thought LEGO Rivendell was almost unbeatable – but I’m delighted to see that the gorgeous stained glass art from Geek Orthodox has done it, and made it through to the Elite Eight! In the other pairing in this region, the Hobbiton mug vanquished the LotR Monopoly. Now I’m rooting for the stained glass to go all the way to be Grand Champion. But you may wish to vote otherwise!
More incredible stained glass art
How the bracket looks now:
Elite Eight Clash of Collectibles
Time to vote! But how does it work, I hear you ask. Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, region by region. Click on each pairing of items, to view all the details – and there place your vote. Let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Tuesday April 7th to vote in Round Four; that evening on TORN Tuesday we’ll reveal the winners, and on Wednesday April 8th we’ll launch the semi-final! Place your votes now!
Let us know YOUR thoughts – join us on TORn Tuesday each week during the competition, and tell us how you feel about the choices so far. And if you want to discuss the votes with other fans, head on over to the Collectibles channel on our Discord.
