Lego Barad-Dur, Rivendell, & Orthanc Comparison

Lego Barad-Dur, Rivendell, & Orthanc Comparison | Sets 10333, 10316, & 10237

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Күн бұрын

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@pseudoty 6 ай бұрын

Rivendell had 3 of Lego’s top designers, including Mike P. working on it for over 2 years., it is a work of art. Barad Dur has just 1 regular designer and it shows look at the back of it compared to the $400 Disney Castle. My only issue with Rivendell is that almost all other builds I have done since seem like a letdown.

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

I hear you on that. There are some sets that *ruin* future builds for me, and it's why so many ratings are subjective. Having the Cafe Corner modular made me rethink how Lego works, but someone just getting into the modulars today wouldn't think much of that set.

@a.a.j.9621 6 ай бұрын

The Rivendell team shouldve gotten to do Barad Dur instead of whomever got Barad Dur, they would've made something more detailed, pushed for additional figures like the Nine, and caught the proportions and interiors better. Could've been a 9/10 with ease instead of the strong 7/10 it is now.

@SO-ym3zs 6 ай бұрын

It's bittersweet when you build a superb set since everything else seems anticlimactic. High points for me are the Parisian Restaurant, Lion Knight's Castle, Saturn V, Rivendell, the Steampunk Railway Station from Pantasy, and the dark grey 1:35 Tiger tank from Cobi. Those all raise the bar.

@SO-ym3zs 6 ай бұрын

@@a.a.j.9621 My only hope is that they have that same team working on something bigger and better from LOTR, like Minas Tirith.

@connorwilson2089 6 ай бұрын

@@a.a.j.9621Be realistic they were never going to put all 9 Nazgul in one set

@FelixAtk 6 ай бұрын

Just finished Barad-Dur. It’s an unbelievable set. I could look at it for hours, the detail and sheer size is just incredible

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

I was a bit surprised by how good it was - the leaked image in the survey from a year ago was so blurry that I couldn't get a good sense of it. Had they released that before Rivendell, I think it would get higher ratings (but I will also acknowledge that it's very different from Rivendell and many people prefer Barad-Dur).

@FelixAtk 6 ай бұрын

@@buildingtogether4171 I also think Barad-dur appeals to a very specific audience compared to Rivendell so that will also affect the rating I would imagine

@thisguytucko 6 ай бұрын

@@FelixAtk I can’t speak for everyone, but for me I had to get barad dur because I already got orthanc in 2013, and you know if you have one, ya just gotta have the two towers

@FelixAtk 6 ай бұрын

@@thisguytucko I had orthanc when I was a kid back in 2013. I went through a period where I wasn’t as interested in Lego as i am now and sold it for £180 about 2 years ago. Regretting that massively now 😂

@MistaNathan 6 ай бұрын

I own it too! Pictures really dont do it justice either

@jodicaryn 6 ай бұрын

Rivendell is my favorite build I've ever done. I never got bored, every section seemed different and exciting, and the end result is simply stunning.

@SO-ym3zs 6 ай бұрын

Good review/comparison! While I can appreciate the intellectual or factual criteria that you articulate, at the end of the day, if I'm going to spend a small fortune on a Lego set, it comes down to which one most resonates emotionally, and that would be Rivendell. From a distance, it looks like a painting come to life. It's probably the most beautiful thing Lego has produced, as much a work of art as a pricey toy. The fact that it honors the aesthetic of the movie source material and offers some really cool building experiences is just icing on the cake. Barad-Dur and Orthanc are distant seconds, and the latter selling for sky-high prices on the aftermarket really puts it totally out of any practical contention.

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

That's very fair! There have been few sets I've enjoyed building as much or more than Rivendell (Medieval Blacksmith, Lion Knights' Castle, some modulars) and that's why it's hard to rate a set until you've actually built it.

@bobxiong4516 6 ай бұрын

As a casual Lego fan. I can only buy one. And I'm gonna go with Rivendell. Cmon it's hard to beat that! You got the fellowship of the ring, and it looks beautiful.

@InfiniteZamasu 6 ай бұрын

Will grab Rivendell with the upcoming double points, and already got Barad-Dur. Being more into villains, my vote goes to Barad-Dur all day

@leifwalker4929 5 ай бұрын

You gotta remember that Orthanck came out eleven years ago. Of course it’s going to lose to these newer sets. It’s still a great set.

@armoredplacoderm 6 ай бұрын

Barad-dur is the only one of the three I pulled the trigger on. Conceptionally, Sauron's tower is more interesting than the other two to me. I can appreciate the quality of both sets, but the subject-matter does not speak to me the way that Dark Lord's tower does. The height of it is very impressive as well. I don't think I've ever built anything in LEGO so tall before.

@tygovisser5626 6 ай бұрын

I really like the scaling between orthanc and barad dur. Obviously not accurate at all, but it just feels very right that barad dur is just that bit larger

@Zitkassoapbox 6 ай бұрын

Yeah in lore Bard-Dur is much taller than Orthanc.

@legoflitwick3702 3 ай бұрын

Yes if the scaling was right, Orthanc would be about 15 bricks tall

@gaelcross 6 ай бұрын

Just finished building Barad Dur and this set is...MASSIVE. I love it. I also bought Rivendell last year (saved for both a big birthday self presents 🤣) And both has the same value to my heart. I'd just say that the piece count doesn't make everything, as Rivendell has HUNDREDS of 1x1 tiles for the roof.

@rogerromo5065 6 ай бұрын

I just got Barad-Dur over Rivendell at my Lego store, my gf mentioned Rivendell looked like a wedding chapel and I couldn't get it out of my head lmao and it's just a smaller scale imo

@joshlyman7059 6 ай бұрын

Rivendell > Barad Dur > Orthanc

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

That's my order as well! My kids don't agree, somehow.

@joshlyman7059 6 ай бұрын

@@buildingtogether4171 we all have different preferences, to me personally I just really dislike the barad dur interior, I left it empty on 5he bottom half to moc something later, I was very disappointed so much space was wasted on a movie meme

@claytonbarnes6644 6 ай бұрын

@@joshlyman7059 that sucks you cant appreciate the funny shit lego puts into their childrens toys bro. lotr is my favorite movie series ever created and that reference is so good and ofc the orcs gotta have an area to eat (yea it couldve been more orcish but this set is mainly a display build from the front anyways so I dont see the issue)

@joshlyman7059 6 ай бұрын

@@claytonbarnes6644 it may be a display piece but i always appreciate neat little interior details in lego and this one was very disappointing to me... bro

@claytonbarnes6644 6 ай бұрын

@@joshlyman7059 It is neat, it fits lego perfectly.

@darthguacamole1164 6 ай бұрын

I cant lie rivendell is a beautiful looking set and and incredible amount of figures but for me as a massive movie and book fan barad dur just comes out on top (Orthanc cant compare to either)

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

That's what my eldest daughter said, too!

@joshlyman7059 6 ай бұрын

I'm glad you love barad dur, weirdly for me I like Barad Dur less than Rivendell partly because it kinda clashes with the books

@0nd292 6 ай бұрын

@@joshlyman7059Rivendell does, too. For example the shards of Narsil. But it also has amazing book refferences - you can make old Bilbo sit, because in the books, he was on the council 😁

@claytonbarnes6644 6 ай бұрын

@@0nd292 wish he was there in the movies too so he had a more understanding of what the one ring really was, in the movies we just get a "whatever happend to my old ring?". Like mfer no one told you this shit is made by the dark lord sauron and frodo had to destroy that shit?

@0nd292 6 ай бұрын

@@claytonbarnes6644 yeah, that was weird, but I still love the movies though. Unofrtunately, I don't remember how was his reaction to the Ring being destroyed executed in the book:/ it sure made more sense

@MarshallHodges-vk9mo 6 ай бұрын

Great Video! I think Rivendell is the best set overall but the others are great too. I wouldn’t be surprised if LEGO is designing a new orthanc right now to match the new style of the other two sets.

@connorwilson2089 6 ай бұрын

I actually think Orthanc holds up pretty well considering it’s over 10 years old now but yeah it is missing a bit of detail and maybe a base like the newer sets have. I can see Lego redoing it but wonder if they’ll work on creating some completely new stuff first. Hopefully these sets sell well so they keep making sets from the LOTR line

@victorrenoux34 9 күн бұрын

That would be cool, but with how much Orthanc holds up I'd honestly rather they tread new ground and make a Minas Tirith

@briananthony2404 6 ай бұрын

I didn't know there was a orthanc set.......Rivendell is on my wishlist....and now so is orthanc. I have bardur dar .....just got it first cuz of the free set. And it's a fathers day gift...that I'm gonna wait til to open it.

@masquatch 6 ай бұрын

I’m so thankful that I have barad dúr and Rivendell. Don’t think I could choose between them

@Case2_0 6 ай бұрын

I have 4 big sets in my collection and a smaller room, so I had to get creative. I combined the most recent and 2018(?) smaller Hogwarts Expresses and built a shelf for it above my closet. I have a Hogwarts castle that takes up almost an entire mirrored dresser. I put the Death Star and Barad-Dur on a tall dresser together. My room looks like The Ultimate Battle of Ultimate Destiny.

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

Haha! Sounds exciting!

@johnathonklinedinst5889 6 ай бұрын

I just finished Barad-Dur. I love everything about it. The only downside for me on Rivendell was the roof build. All those flat bricks was the most tedious and annoying part.

@cadewilliams3857 6 ай бұрын

I’m glad you brought up how it over hangs off the common ikea book shelve. Not as big of a deal with Barag- Dur but the angle the gazebo section takes in Rivendell is so dramatic.

@arjungill656 6 ай бұрын

Me and my brother were really on edge of getting Rivendell, however when Barad dur was announced we showed up at the Lego Store June 1st and got it! Both sets are amazing and I’m hoping to get Rivendell sometime soon. Barad dur I think is a phenomenal set that blends the great interior and the outside. Lego sets have a habit of either focusing entirely on the building/vehicles and not having much for interior or figures to mess around (venetor) or the other way around (play sets in general). I love looking at the front of Barad dur and the back. The base of the set was so fun and detailed to build

@jdoucette4592 6 ай бұрын

Love all three. Thoughts on lighting kits?

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

Good question. The only time I've tried to light a set is the huge micro-scale Hogwarts. It's not working well (using a third-party lighting kit designed specifically for that set). So while I'd be intrigued, I'm not convinced it's worth the money.

@jdoucette4592 6 ай бұрын

@@buildingtogether4171 the briksmax one looks great to illuminate the eye and the lava. Waiting for a review. If it continues along similar lines, you don’t have to use all elements as there are some along the tower that I am less interested in. Thanks for all the reviews.

@Makaneek5060 6 ай бұрын

5:00 I can confirm for you that the beard is not dual-molded, but is durable nonetheless.

@Bryan-v6s 4 ай бұрын

is orthanc not available anymore?

@gumbycat5226 6 ай бұрын

Oh you made my day! I bought Orthanck when it was out and still have it brand new in perfect box. I had no idea how much it was worth!

@bobbyc912 6 ай бұрын

Not a fan of playsets in general and these are expensive playsets. But Barad Dur is a showstopper and my pick as a display set

@xbwkaosxnsh188 6 ай бұрын

i think all 3 are amazing. i have orthanc, and later today i will be building barad dur. planning on getting rivendell at some point so lego can keep more lego lotr coming.

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

Nice! Enjoy the build and I hope you still have Orthanc built or can find the pieces easily!

@xbwkaosxnsh188 6 ай бұрын

@@buildingtogether4171 finished the build, was probably the most fun build i’ve ever done, its size it’s just awesome. rivendell next! edit: yes i have orthanc built! they are displayed side by side!

@Mister_Know_Name 6 ай бұрын

Rivendell is the most beautiful set ever created. Bricklink designer program series 5 Adventure in Transylvania is the closest to its beauty. I am hoping we get 1 massive LOTR set per year. Also, I'd like army releases as well.

@AROD617 6 ай бұрын

Rivendell has more iconic scenes from the movie...From statue of the Sword to the Bridge where Aragorn and Arwen... It was a fun build with trees, rivers, and the roof.

@NathanDavis-ms2gg 6 ай бұрын

Orthanc. 100% I have Barad-dùr in the box ready to build but if i couldnt keep both id stick with the sleek black monolith near-impervious to dust. Also sentimental value and stuff. Rivendel just looks fragile and I wouldn't want to mess with it, alot. Cleaning would suck.

@VRitasium 6 ай бұрын

I like ALOT the 3 sets, however Orthanc and Barad-dur have an exterior much more accurate to the "real" buildings in the movie

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

I noticed just how accurate Orthanc is when we were rewatching the Two Towers this week. Barad-Dur is hard to get a really good grasp of in terms of accuracy because it's not shown in as much detail as the others. My one big question is the light bley rock work - I know the tower is built in such a way, but I'm not sure of the color scheme there.

@VRitasium 6 ай бұрын

@@buildingtogether4171 very true :) although there are plenty of pictures on the internet of the movie's bigature as well as accurate miniatures for sales:p

@celiohelder1 2 ай бұрын

I just got Rivendell for my birthday. Looking at it built like that….omg…it’s much bigger than the picture in the box!!

@itsallfunandgames723 18 күн бұрын

It feels like Lego made some awesome sets, such as the Cantina, and then Rivendell, pumped that price point up for what are some truly fantastic sets, and then just sort of forgot their own standards save the price. Barad-Dur might be a nice Lego set, but it's not a "Hey we doubled the price of what it should actually cost because it's a work of art from a beloved property," it's a "Hey remember how you paid through the nose for Rivendell, well we made another set with a lot of pieces, so pay through the nose again because you fell for it last time." Barad-Dur and Jabba's Sail Barge are just expensive. They'll get people who buy expensive Lego sets, but they won't get all the people who decided to splash in and buy Rivendell because it was such a special thing, and that's probably a huge chunk of the people who bought Rivendell.

@barrylarry_7493 2 ай бұрын

Just ordered Rivendell and i am super excited. Almost all my friends prefer Barad Dur but I find Rivendell more appealing (although I do like Barad Dur and really want some of the figures that come in the set). I may be tempted to buy Barad Dur in the future especially if I find as good a deal for it as I did with Rivendell brand new off of ebay but at the minute I think Ill be very happy with Rivendell.

@neilrusling-je6zo 6 ай бұрын

Lego exploited price per piece to the point that it is now useless, they cram in dozens of 1x1 tiles and other tiny pieces to increase piece count. 20 years ago price per piece meant something, not any more. We need a new metric to calculate value and I think it has to be be price per kilogramme, we need to go on weight to stop the tiny piece loophole Lego exploited to death.

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

I've thought about weight, but even that can be messy. One thing I've realized over time is that I value certain pieces (bricks, modified bricks, tiles) more than others, which leads me to liking different sets. I'm tempted to make a video on how to value new Lego sets.

@SO-ym3zs 6 ай бұрын

@@buildingtogether4171 There are other reviewers who list price/kg, for whatever it's worth. But I'm buying an experience and a display object, not raw plastic as a commodity. I think this stat and PPP are only vaguely useful since value depends on so many subjective, personal factors. PPP only gets really interesting when you compare like-quality sets from other manufacturers and see things like $.03/part, which makes you wonder about Lego's crazy pricing and how the Lego community came to accept $.10/part as some acceptable baseline.

@Scar-Predator 6 ай бұрын

For me, I absolutely love Barad-Dûr. Once I can, I'm getting it. The only real issue I have with it, is the dark/light bluish grey, and the dark tan used for the rocky terrain and the bit wrapping around the tower of Barad-Dûr, instead of what would look a lot better, and fit much nicer, dark brown, like Mordor in the films. Most people would say Mordor is black, but no. Paying as much attention to the terrain of Mordor as the action, it's actually 2 different colors. A dark, ashey grey near the Black Gate, while the further in you go, and the closer to Barad-Dûr and Mount Doom you get, it becomes a lot more brown, and dirty, with a bit of orange highlights, especially near Mount Doom. The color of Mordor is the most obvious when Frodo and Sam disguise themselves as Orcs, and when hiking through Mordor to Mount Doom, especially when they're attacked by Sméagol/Gollum on the hills of the volcano in Return of the King. I would've loved it if Lego used dark and some lighter browns to recreate the true color of Mordor for the Dark Tower, Barad-Dûr. Otherwise it's a 10/10 for me.

@Bestdadever13 Ай бұрын

I brought Rivendale and 10333 set for 80 each aliexpress. Total Lego savings 800 dollars plus tax. Its really really hard for me to justify the price difference. Lego are good investments and hold great value. Ive been priced out for a few years now.

@ColinBaumann-ll8kh 5 ай бұрын

I agree with your choice of Rivendell because it looks nice as a display piece and if you could only get one the whole fellowship is a main draw.

@DoraKage Ай бұрын

Oh wow, I have the Orthanc Tower complete, with instructions and all the minifigs in storage... mmmmm should I sell it... ? 🤔

@DtodoRob 3 күн бұрын

Ill buy it bro

@medievalman3737 2 ай бұрын

I loved my tower of orthanc sense 2013 but the new ones are just out of this world!

@stevenv2190 4 ай бұрын

Nice - I also have those three! 😁😁😁 Thinking about getting the lighting kit for Barad-dur.

@Brickmestudios 6 ай бұрын

That double guard tower from the medieval town square though

@briananthony2404 6 ай бұрын

The rock pedestal for frodo and Sam and gollem is the top of the mountain across the way they were looking at the entrance

@alexd4741 6 ай бұрын

Thanks, an excellent review as always! I've been eyeing up Rivendell for a while, 😊then Barad Dur came out... I definitely agree with you that for the complexity and beauty Rivendell is the one (to rule them all)

@ianfitton9400 3 ай бұрын

rivendell had a much better source material to allow for a build that is truly amazing,orthanc was for its time very good but even though barad dur improves on it with some new building techniques and newer elements both suffer from the fact that whilst being impressive models they lack variety in colour without straying from what they are trying to emulate which would be a mistake but one that does limit what can be achieved! fair play to all 3 design teams as they brought them all to life in lego and are must haves for any collector or lotr fan

@stevek7266 6 ай бұрын

Did you get fell beast?

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

Yes! We do show the box in our live build video.

@IG88IGLOO. 6 ай бұрын

I kinda wish Barad-dur had an in scale version of Orthanc.

@gbrow1604 4 ай бұрын

As in like a fraction of the size?

@Matti6950 17 күн бұрын

Had 0 lego sets a month ago, now 8 :D Got myself 3 expensive sets cause i find the big ones have way more value and lasting appeal (detail, view enjoyance) then small sets. Rivendell was hardest, cause discount was only 75€ on 500€ but the exlusive nature (only on lego and amazon) and being by far the best LOTR set ever also) i had to buy it. Colosseum (i love sand lego tiles, so this one has me drooling :D) and harry potter (big) castle. While cool, i think the lasting appeal of the black will annoy me and still 500€ so i skip the towers. Eiffeltoren is also really nice in size, but the sometimes cheaper (bended) looking parts and the non stop grey (i hate grey so lasting appeal drops :D) make it harder. Also no 71043 set? That is big miss in my opinion for lego fan, especially with current 350€ isntead of 470€ price tag.

@angkhoaphan6450 14 күн бұрын

IMO Rivendell set with the LMB 2.0 light kit will rule them all 😅

@kadwinflo 2 ай бұрын

Rivendell for me (i own it) barad-dur is cool but Rivendell is a better looking display piece in my opinion. I love the details and the colors of it

@dd_zzero6827 5 ай бұрын

This isn't even close for me. Although the two towers are great, Rivendell is probably one of the most beautiful sets ever made.

@Pentchev 2 ай бұрын

For me tower of orthanc. I love it in the movie and love the lego build.

@octav1600 6 ай бұрын

I honestly think there is no contest between Rivendell and the other 2, however that's because it's really good, not that the other 2 are bad. And Barad'Dur is so much better than Orthank as well (mostly due to new pieces and techniques) Minifigs are great in all 3 sets, but Sauron and the orcs are my favorite (I can use them in anything - the elves .and the rest of Rivendell not so much). Also what do I spy, with my little eye? A doubled up Guard Tower from the medieval Town Square? I hope that's not a video I missed.

@buildingtogether4171 6 ай бұрын

You won't get any disagreement from me (Colin) on that, although Kiara and Autumn *suffer* from recency bias in rating Barad-Dur on par or better than Rivendell. And yes! That is a double Town Square that I'm currently working on. I'm hoping to build some more of it this weekend and get the video out soon, so you haven't missed anything!

@octav1600 6 ай бұрын

@@buildingtogether4171 Glad to hear I didn't miss anything. Working on the same

@Maximilian_Ingrosso 6 ай бұрын

unpopular opinion: Orthanc is the best looking set for display. I think that the tower being a smaller tower and more simplistic in the movies is an advantage compared to Barad Dur. Barad Dur is cool but the tower itself is a bit too short compared to the base and some other details like the spires just look a bit off due to the sizing. And the entrance being sized to a minifig also makes it look a bit off because when you put minifigs in there they are too big compared to the tower. And again, Orthanc being smaller IRL is a benefit as it doesn't look as odd to have saruman on the balcony as it does having an orc in the entrance of barad dur. and being more simplistic there are less things that proportionally look weird. and for rivendell i can't really say anything except the fact that it's more of a doll house than a display piece. Again, it looks good but imagine having that on display in a living room. it would just look like a lego set while the tower of orthanc i think makes a great display piece on a shelf next to a flower or something.

@Wertys 6 ай бұрын

Rivendell just might be one of the greatest sets ever made

@Gravecoyote 6 ай бұрын

Unpopular opinion but Rivendell is overhyped to me. Maybe its cause i dont really care for the actual city in LOTR but it just never appealed all that much to me, like it looks nice and has nice detail but idk it was also very annoying to build and i just felt pretty disappointed after all the work plus all the hype around it, and of course the price tag

@slaviclad9705 4 ай бұрын

I agree, rivendell is beautiful and all but barad dur is so massive and intimidating and the minfigs are more solid (i really dislike the new elves) if you ever wanted to own a fortress of evil, this is it

@stewartdixon7161 2 ай бұрын

I’m lucky enough to own all the LOTR and hobbit sets apart from the lonely mountain

@gollumetah4897 6 ай бұрын

3:46-3:56 please dust your rivendell it looks nasty

@gustavoflores4646 6 ай бұрын

real

@gabriel_a06671 6 ай бұрын

I just received both of them in the mail😊

@ethanmietzner5218 6 ай бұрын

I’m extremely disappointed with Legos take on Barad Dur. 3 major issues I have are the minifigures. Sauron should have been the avatar style minifigure and should have received his own custom mace weapon piece instead of a bulky built weapon that looks absolutely awful. Secondly, legos reuse of Frodo and Sam from Rivendell is clearly a cheap move on their part. All Lego had to do was reprint their torso piece and their face to make them look weary and worn out from their travels all across Middle Earth. Finally, the fact we didn’t get an Isildur minifigure is an absolute joke. In Rivendell, Lego included Isildur and Sauron in a sticker print showing Isildur cutting off the ring. Barad Dur was the perfect opportunity and possibly the only opportunity to get my most desired minifigure and yet Lego was too incompetent or lazy to include him. At a price tag of $460, at the least I expected Frodo and Sam to be new versions exclusive to this set, and at the most, I would have loved to see Isildur, but no, Lego (like always) seems to cheap out as much as possible.