LEGO Lord of the Rings Barad-dur (Review)

LEGO is back to Middle Earth's world of Lord of the Rings with the massive LEGO Icons 10333 Barad-dûr. What's this set all about and how does it compare with the masterpiece that was last years LEGO Rivendell?
* Buy from LEGO ❯* bit.ly/3K3KQWS
* Fell Beast ❯* bit.ly/4biHA5Z
Thank you LEGO for sending this set for review. Views and opinions are my own.
#lego #rlfm #review #10333

[@TiagoCatarino]

* Buy from LEGO ❯* bit.ly/3K3KQWS * Fell Beast ❯* bit.ly/4biHA5Z I guess I missed the "meat's back on the menu" reference which the sticker in the dinning hall might be referring to. Well played then LEGO, I rest my case! The scroll is refering to all rings of power which makes sense! I didn't see the "7" as the number seven, it looked to me like another "1", my bad! :)

[@FredericoValleTeixeira]

Uau

[@chasebarricklow1154]

The throne actually is for Sauron himself as there’s a scene with him on it in the movies, also considering the palantir (aka the orb) was used by him as seen in the movies and explained in some of Tolkien’s unpublished work.

[@harrispinkham]

Came here to say that 😂

[@momo5592]

By any chance do you know the weight of the box? Thanks

[@jimb9967]

Heeeey you got there in the end!!

[@Xardass1GK]

I believe the menu in the dining hall section is a humorous reference to the "looks like meat's back on the menu, boys" scene.

[@abbektvclips3098]

was about to comment exactly this

No doubt about it. Also, the orc generals aren't as savage as the armies, I can imagine them having some sort of structure like this within the tower.

[@vedranlucev1837]

Exactly.

[@ddot196]

Yep. I think the scene is fine, it's Lego after all. It's ok to have some silly elements in a set that is supposed to be "serious".

[@grandmasterbricks]

It almost sounded like Tiago was complaining Lmfaoo

[@Volpethrope]

I cannot put into words how much I want a huge Bag End set with a removable hilltop roof so you can play around with all the rooms and make scenes from the movies.

With Frodo, Sam, Bilbo minifigs and Throin and 13 dwarfs minifigs

[@Lbj79]

Me to!

[@Tanner-k1w]

Shut up and take my money

[@Crystal2Castles]

That would be incredible

[@AerixArtGames]

I truly do hope this is next! Would be a day one purchase for me.

[@valeriofusarpoli5796]

The scroll in the higher room is a reference to the Ring Poem, with the numbers 3, 7, 9, 1 Curiously, backwards, it becomes 1973 which is the year Tolkien died

[@PauLtus_B]

...that's creepy...

[@valeriofusarpoli5796]

@@PauLtus_B creepy and awesome

[@Cy3791_]

3 to the elves, 7 to dwarves, 9 to men, 1 to rule them all.

[@alisoncassidy3255]

That's what I came to point out!

[@nikitakiselev]

Also 1937 - year when Hobbit was released

[@BigStrap]

9:28 *Three* Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, *Seven* for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, *Nine* for Mortal Men doomed to die, *One* for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

[@TiagoCatarino]

Didn't see it as a 7, makes sense!

[@poofpiff3195]

also i’m sure you saw the other comment but 1973 is when Tolkien passed

[@TheAphexTim]

I like the use of colour in the middle section as it gives the impression that these pillars are lit from below

[@CerealBox64]

That's exactly it.

[@Crystal2Castles]

Agreed! It makes sense it's the glow from below

[@copyrightstrike4666]

Also the use of orange/tan pieces on the top of the tower is SO overlooked. It makes it look like the eye is giving off light, it's awesome

[@activepuck2225]

All black would be impressive but I do like how the different colours break everything up to make it just a bit more visually interesting.

[@chasebarricklow1154]

Wish they included Gollum’s torture chamber since it’s the only know room in the interior and it just would’ve been cool :)

[@lordly123]

Well, there does appear to be a room where they took torturing a bit too far.

[@finnmchugh99]

But I thought he was tortured in Minis Morgul?

[@kevindejong1226]

Gollum was tortured at Dol Guldur

[@nak3dxsnake]

yeah i'm sure we'll get a lego torture set in modern times

[@shadowplays1754]

The hidden meaning on the scroll at the top is that those are numbers 3 (rings for elves) 7 (rings for dwarves) 9 (rings for men) 1 (One ring) Also backward it is 1973 - the year of Tolkien’s death

[@LordKlavier]

Really appreciate some of the criticisms on this set -- saw too often people just praising it, even when I noticed a few main flaws, but almost all of them you touched upon. Overall I love the set, and I am so, so happy that lego decided to create it, I just really appreciate the honest review!

[@ariellevy8227]

We will never forgive you smashing the millennium falcon

[@xongi9248]

Yes

[@philippelefebvre7645]

Lol I would have done the same

[@jackyharuhiko]

The new Millennium Falcon is really good and much more affordable.

[@endofcentury7077]

I did

[@ml4757]

Nah, it was funny. Kinda satisfying ngl

[@kevintcp370]

No ones gonna mention how BRILLIANT the use of nugget and brown piece that emulates the glow on the tower from sauron’s eye

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

nougat, not nugget. Two different food groups.

[@TheDanishspartan]

"Reenact what happened after the One Ring was destroyed." - that's gold writing right there

[@Lucretiel]

Soft disagree with you about the dining room, that’s actually a really funny reference. At one point in the movies, after an Orc is torn apart by his fellows, another Orc says “looks like meat’s back on the menu, boys!”. This has led to an interesting discussion, along the lines of: how does an Orc know what a menu is? That would imply they know what service dining is, that their society has reached the point that menus can exist. Are there Orc waiters? Etc. Hence the Orc dining room with meat on the menu.

[@Illuminatic]

Looks like lego lotr is back on the menu, boys

[@lamb-tika-cod4934]

Lfg

[@philipreid2542]

​@@TheGold3agleit's a meme now, so not really

[@Spitting_Llama77]

😂

[@AbsolutelyJason]

lol

[@leakyabstraction]

One of the best feature is that it seems it has no loose pieces. Even the food items are nicely attached. I hate loose pieces in lego sets.

[@Alexriga]

Minas Tirith would be cool but Shire even better. Hobbits hole under green cover like ant farm would be epic.

[@JJ_5289]

I dont know how Lego would recreate the shire but especially minas tirith. It would have to be recreated on such a small scale and miss out on a lot of details. Even the shire is huge

[@Alexriga]

@@JJ_5289 It doesn't have to be all shire. Maybe Bilbo's house Lego with ~3000 pieces could be nice with openable roof. I agree about Minas Tirith but look what they did With Rivendell. It was not all Rivendell but some portion of it. So would be Minas Tirith - probably some building with wall and Catapult or Denethor's palace with palantir hidden inside.

[@KerioFive]

I can't imagine Minas Tirith being a well scaled and good looking build. Would definitely prefer the Shire

[@unlistic2788]

I really like the details around the Eye of Sauron, the color change to create a brightness effect around the area of the eye makes it look it’s radiating light.

[@Tanner-k1w]

Rivendell and Barad-due are great sets, but personally I would like a full on LOTR theme so we could get smaller playset models I can actually afford

[@TheThreeMavii]

There was one!... over a decade ago =/

[@Tanner-k1w]

@@TheThreeMavii I want it back

[@PlaytothePC]

That’s strange that Lego keeps doing Star Wars and Harry Potter over and over again but nothing LOTR. I hope they will bring more new LOTR sets of different kind

[@Ally64217]

@@PlaytothePCLEGO lost the blanket license for LOTR in 2013. These are one-off sets they buy licensing for

[@PlaytothePC]

@@Ally64217 yeah I also realized that they put them under the Icon range as well. Not under their own range like Star Wars or HP

[@nak3dxsnake]

Woah! The way they captured the glow off the flames on the undersides and near the eye are really next level.

[@Laesis]

Loooove this set! Definitely gonna save up for it. However, I wanna point out that the rooms aren't random. The bottom floor is based on one of the early scenes where we see Gollum being tortured. The table is probably a reference to "Looks like meat is back on the menu, boys!" The throne room is actually a reference to the books, as Sauron has a physical body there and is often on his throne (the two banners are also literally as described in the books, with his red Eye). He is also described as having a planning war room and a Palantír, as shown there in the set (not described in detail, though). EDIT: the burning shire is a reference to the Scouring Of The Shire, by the way. EDIT 2: I'm not sure if the movie had those windows. Once again, I'm guessing those might be based on the book descriptions, as those mentioned the window in the room where Sauron resided. That's a more far-fetched guess, though.

[@javiersp15]

Lego is just killing it with LotR sets

[@arghjayem]

Nope. Killing it would be making sets that don’t require significant saving to afford! Killing it would be creating orc/rohirim/Gondor soldiers battle packs along the lines of Star Wars battle packs to allow you to build up armies. Killing it would be not gate keeping desired minifigures behind $400+ sets. 🤷

[@yuzuchi5381]

@@arghjayem Tbh .. jsut buy custom minifigures .. they cost 1-5€ a piece depending on the figure and they are way better then legos own minifigures

[@joevictor53]

​@@arghjayemagreed. This is fine for rich fans and KZbinrs that get this stuff for free. I love the look of these but I really hope Lego would look at LOTR the way they look at Star Wars and release collectors sets at all different sizes

[@arghjayem]

@@yuzuchi5381fortunately I’m not into minifigures. But a lot are. And telling people to just buy customs isn’t helpful. Lego did plenty of “affordable” LEGO sets once upon a time with great figures that weren’t brickheadz sets. I don’t see why they can’t go back to that for LOTR as well as doing big sets like these. Same as with Star Wars you get small sets and big UCS sets, pleasing all types of fans.

[@yuzuchi5381]

@@arghjayem they cant cause Greed

[@on9luddite]

I love the detail of the palantíri ! Not only the images on itself (The Scouring of the Shire !) but the fact that it was actually included !

[@timgoodwin90]

Next big LOTR set should be The Shire birthday party. It's a significant part of the first book. All the hobbits, Gandalf, brick built firework dragon and Hobbit holes.

[@michaelemond7315]

Thank you for another detailed, concise review. As always I appreciate your builder's insight into how enjoyable the build was and how many unique building techniques were employed. Waiting for the first fan to buy TWO sets so they can have a 360 Barad-dur with no cut-away to the rooms. :)

[@ZZ-gj2kr]

The kitchen and dining hall are absolutely hilarious😂 i'd like to imagine Sauron and his Mouth arguing over what to cook for their dinner, and Sauron winning and announcing "my loverly orcs, you can have anything for dinner so long that it is the one drumstick!" (his Mouth sulking in the corner because it wanted to cook lava-barbequed fish). Menacingly impressive but I'll await Minas Tirith, fingers crossed. Thank you for this delightful review, Tiago!

[@Accour]

Nice imagination🤣

[@mathijnd]

My one complaint is the Frodo and Sam characters. I personally think those shouldn’t even have been included. It should’ve been 2 more orcs, a The Witch King or Elendil and Isildur with a full Narsil sword and the Rivendel shards of Narsil mold. BUT if they did want to add Frodo and Sam they should have been accurate. They look to clean for their Mordor scenes. The faces should have been with mud and scars and their clothes should’ve been f’ed up. Really missed the mark with those two figures imo. SIDENOTE I think Saurons throne deserved the bigger room instead of this small one. And it would have been cool to have a small window or balcony where you could put Sauron on display like Saruman in the Orthanc set. But those are small wishes. :)

[@TiagoCatarino]

This! Like I said, the minifigure lineup was both impressive and lacklustre! You put it in a much nicer way than I did!

[@majonez5641beni]

9:27 is a reference to the rings, 9 rings for men, 7 for dwarves, 3 to elves and 1 to rule them all

[@oskar7962]

Or it can be a reference to the fact that Jrr Tolkien died in 1973

[@daniel91191]

I’ve been building a custom Lego Barad Dur on and off for the past 2 years, and I was actually disappointed when this came out, I had much higher expectations for it and would say my model looks far better, bigger and more movie accurate. However, props to Lego for putting out these brilliant LOTR sets for the past few years, hopefully more to come!

[@lukedogwalker]

This is what we could call a Marmite set: you'll either love it or hate it! Personally, I think part 3 of the build could probably stand on its own as a perfectly good display (one that would fit on a shelf) that has all the essential features of Barad-dur. I don't love the rock formations, either. Seem a bit clunky and visually distracting with no flow. And I agree that the Orc dining hall is out of place. I'd imagine a scene more like something from the snake palace in Conan the Barbarian, with orcs eating human parts boiled up in a big stew pot, and definitely not sitting neatly at a table using cutlery! 😂

[@TiagoCatarino]

Right?! 😂

[@nearly_reckless_nick]

The stickers are once more the biggest slap in the face at this price point.

[@johnnysharp2899]

I just realized, in the Rivendell set, they an eye of Sauron build. Are there any Easter eggs in this set that could potentially be are next lord of the rings set?

[@gpx2509]

The palandir showing the white tree of gondor burning (Minas Tirith set?) and bagend burning (Hobbiton set?)

[@Ohmbricks]

The burning white Tree and Gothmog ( he is the leader for the attack to Minas Tirith) can be a "Easter egg" for a Minas Tirith Set in the future AND we dont become the Witchking of Angmar in the GWP Set - This Guy is importend in the battle of Minas Tirith TOO ;) all in one, i think ...next Set is Minas Tirith !

[@michaelkeaton5394]

I don't think the eye of Sauron in the Rivendel set was a teaser for this set, more a nod to Elrond's line "his eye is fixed on Rivendel"

[@wesandell]

It's probably more an Easter egg to the scene in the movie when Gimli tried to smash it and the eye flashed.

[@bluegoose7832]

There is a map that has the words "Shire? Baggins?" written on it, so I'm guessing the next one will be Bag End. They also added Edoras to the map, maybe hinting at an eventual set And of course the burning tree, which is Minas Tirith, which would be too huge to be a minifig scale set, it'd have to be a Lego Architecture style set

[@Bloody100]

Interesting how getting the set for free suddenly makes it good value for money. Funny how that works... And no, it is not good value for money, it is absurdly expensive, and you only even get half a tower! Buy two, get one... great value indeed.

[@dragonshadow1902]

Glad they gave Golum a loin cloth. I didn't wanna see his pink flower. The 3791 sticker is the number of rings made. 3 for elves, 7 for dwarves and 9 for man and 1 to rule them all.

[@jasonjasonparis]

I'm so upset that the Fell Beast set is only available when you buy the big set

[@Accour]

Thats how they get you!!

[@EyalBrown]

You just couldn't resist using the "smashing the Falcon" footage, could you? 😂

[@TiagoCatarino]

I will make the MOST out of those seconds of footage!! It was the goal after all 😂

[@kristianthaler6525]

All I need is a Lego Shire, then I can die happy.

[@Accour]

Lmao

[@MrPerez333]

man I for sure didn't need to know this was launching 😭

[@zeitlichkeit5094]

I know 😢 yet another set I won’t be able to buy

[@lgzn]

the menu is a nod to the "looks like meat is back on the menu boys" line in the two towers movie, it's actually a GREAT reference!

[@maggie198333]

04:01 I thought it looks like reflection of the glow

[@joydivision1976]

This.

[@peterpolus5272]

I agree about the colors, they are terribly out of place. The tower in the movies was all black, the rock formations should have been made entirely of dark grey and black. While I'm fine with the lava at the bottom illuminating the walls a little bit, I hate to see all the orange and brown pieces in the build's midsection. The top being brown and orange doesn't look the best either, especially with the "horns' " highest points being yellow despite being the farthest away upwards from the eye. Blue bricks showing through the walls is just bad quality and modern Lego always trying to stick a rainbow into everything no matter what it looks like from the outside. I also don't like the builds proportions, maybe the base could have been a little smaller and the top part of the tower longer. Minifigs - nice but Sauron should have the avatar body, Frodo and Sam could have better resembled their actual look towards the end of the journey. The interior is nice, I agree that the kitchen shows a little of Lego's need/policy/whatever to make stuff more fun and family friendly but I think it's fine in this case. Overall: 18+ Lego could sometimes be darker, both figuratively and literally. Barad Dur - literally.

[@jacobe1942]

I think the colored lighting works well for the top, I am sure they must have made like 10 different versions with different color schemes but I do agree the mid section feels wrong to make the colors... perhaps there is some reference photo we are forgetting that shows the light coming from within? The bottom needs some more dark grey bricks instead of all the light sandy looking ones. Seems like some wasted space for the right side cave? and also in the dining hall that could have been 2 rooms. but just spread it out.... I guess its ok. I think the fell beast should have been part of it, and the little scene where they throw the ring in a more developed GWP... as it is that part looks like something someone made from the extra pieces of a set this big. I think LOTR die hard fans will want it, but as a classic castle fan I am glad I am not tempted to buy it as the price is just too much... I would like to see it next to the lions knight castle for scale though.

[@_Yarcraft_]

The eye looks incredible, really, it’s simple but it’s really good!👍

[@briandain8432]

The 3791 is of course the order of Rings to the Races, but Ashnflash literally pointed out the Creepy Coincidence of the numbers in Reverse: 1973 was the year JRRT Died.

[@davidmducc]

Nah the kitchen is hilarious and I love it. You gotta be light hearted 😂

[@runekolman]

7:58 the seat was probably from sauron himself, because although his eye is on top of the tower, sauron did have a physical form during the time of the lord of the rings

[@TiagoCatarino]

But they didn't co-exist right? Both the eye and Sauron himself at the same time?

[@runekolman]

@@TiagoCatarino i think they did, because that was one of the deleted scenes in return of the king, aragorn was fighting the physical form of sauron instead of the troll at the black gate. So although it wasnt clear from the movies, I they did exist at the same time!

[@runekolman]

And yes, maybe I should focus more on school then on lord of the rings lore 😂

[@chasebarricklow1154]

@Tiago: They did not co-exist at the same time, when Sauron lost the ring he lost his physical form because he put most of his essence into the ring, when he lost the ring he therefore lost most of his power and essence therefore becoming a shell of his former self, aka the eye of Sauron

[@lollo17mw2]

@@TiagoCatarino long before saurons physical form died he built barad dur and lived there for many years and therefore it was probably his throne, the eye on top appeared when he lost his physical form and then ofc the throne wasnt needed for him anymore but was already there

[@Twoshoestrings]

I think the menu with the meat on it is a reference to that line "looks like meats back on the menu boys"

[@Accour]

Lmao

[@matejkusnierz6242]

Orcs eating at the table feels definitely less weird to me than Mouth of Sauron reading books. This set is absolutely stunning. But as you said, the Rivendell looks just so much better

[@amckay003]

I have just finished building this set and there are two things I want to say. 1) Pictures and videos do not do it's size justice. The thing is massive! 2) If you shine a light underneath it in the front it looks like the lava around the entrance is really glowing!

[@ArdjanVideo]

3 Rings for the Elven Kings under the sky 7 for the Dwarf Lords in their halls of stone 9 for mortal men, doomed to die 1 for the Dark Lord on his dark throne One Ring to bind them....

[@TiagoCatarino]

I thought they were two ones and not a seven!

[@IsaiahBuildStuff]

I was going to buy this, but then I realized, "I can build! Why not make one 2.5 times taller! And it (might cost less)"! Joking aside, this is a great set, and I really want to buy it!

[@JBBrickFanatic]

I really hope helms deep is next! Awesome review as always!

Rivendell is an absolute no-brainer purchase for even a casual fan, and extremely rewarding in every single detail to more serious fans. Barad-dur is more of a collector's set, with just the details like the minifigs being really desirable and fun to have. I honestly can't wait for the inevitable Minas Tirith and Meduseld sets, which I think will put more stress on my wallet than this.

[@kyrios443]

Actually, i belive the throne room and the window is a reference to the book. If i remember well, In the book, the sauron’s tower didn’t have a giant eye in the top. The ’’eye’’ of sauron is metaphorical to describe how sauron has spies everywhere and now what’s appenning all around the middle earth. Also, he is described has watching over his land (mordor) throught his window while sat on his throne in his weakest form. So, maybe this explain the throne room and the window. And for the orc’s cantinna, i personally don’t mind and i love the ’’meat on the menu’’ reference to the ’’two tower’’.

[@Quirderph]

And of course, the ring verse mentions "the dark lord on his dark throne".

[@tormenting360]

I really like watching your reviews! So balaned and fair. I cant wait to get Rivendell but due to the GWP, I am opting for Barad Dur first. Both look stunning. Cant wait to see what Light My Bricks does with this. Great opportunity for a sound brick!

[@Spitting_Llama77]

I dont agree with you about saying it would look better in all black. The grey and brown give it a good color mix to appeal to more people

[@thomaskeiper4534]

I bought this set this morning as one of my son’s graduation gifts. I absolutely love this set. And sure he will too.

[@jeremyachristensen]

The 3791 on the parchment in the Mouth's study is referencing the rings of power. 3 rings for the elves, 7 for the dwarves, 9 for the men, and one ring to rule them all.

[@Blitzuploads2K]

What we need next year is the lonely mountain or the shire

[@Elektrokardiogramm]

I desperately want Minas Tirith

[@JorgenKremer]

​@@Elektrokardiogramm absolutely. I've been waiting for Lego Minas Tirith for about 12 years now!

[@leestride2285]

In keeping with them doing a big set each year, Helm's Deep HAS to be next,

[@sarveshgovinder2775]

Minas Tirith is next

[@canona3325]

if they keep doing things they haven’t really done, it is either mina’s tirith or the golden hall

[@KerioFive]

I hope so

[@earthbricks]

8:37 “bilbo’s back end” 😂

[@Accour]

🤣

[@wolfgang9847]

I might be the only one, but I find it extremely odd to be given just one half of the tower. Now it's hard to display it since you see the back half most of the time. They could have just made one huge mountain surrounding the tower with all the interior design which could be discovered by unfolding the tower in its middle

[@overdev1993]

just buy it two times and you got a full tower :o)

[@AmelityshTV]

This really Sau's my Ron

[@TheFirstCurse1]

This is one of the lamest KZbin comments I've ever seen.

[@AmelityshTV]

@@TheFirstCurse1 I will not suggest otherwise

[@TyingSaturn]

Me when Ron is Sour

[@VRykerP]

This is one of the funniest KZbin comments I’ve ever seen.

[@AdamJasper18]

As a big Lord of the Rings fan I wish this size of a set was dedicated to any other LOTR structure. A minifigure scale Barad-Dur feels so unnecessary esspecially because no one ever goes anywhere near it in the movies. While it makes sense to have such an iconic tower as a LEGO set, a miniature model would have been better in my opinion. That would have made it both more accesible and mechanism could be implemented to make it fall similar to the way it does in Return of the King.

[@richarddietz2659]

Lego, helping the middle-class become poor since 2019

[@littlejonathorn6860]

Wish it were a complete tower and 1:53 sam and Frodo had Black orc suits to go with helmets (as we see in movie)

[@joemacleod-iredale2888]

Feels like Sauron should have had the extra long legs used on Woody from Toy Story and in the Avatar sets.

[@JRRTolkienReal]

Yes!!

[@Bricklete]

The way you had Gollum sneak into the frame made me chuckle lol

[@KyleGuitarLife]

I love how they used a darker orange instead of black I really does make the eye look like it’s glowing

[@alloutlogan2883]

I’m not even a lord of the rings fan but I love this set

[@m_afol]

How to join two sets into one full build?

[@joermnyc]

Moving the eye around reminded me of that Family Guy cutaway joke where Sauron is trying to find his lost contact lens.😂

[@GamerErman2001]

They should honestly make some small and cheap LotR sets, not everybody that would want LEGO LotR stuff wants/is able to buy stuff like this and Rivendell.

The commercial WB just released for this set is sick!

[@Scar-Predator]

That scroll on the top level of Barad-Dûr is undoubtedly referring to the Rings of Power. The numbers 3, 7, 9, and 1 all line up with the opening of The Fellowship. "Three were given to the Elves, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf-Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountains. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern each race. But they were all of them decieved, for another ring was made. Deep in the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mt Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring, to control all the others. And into this ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all." 3 to the Elves, 7 to the Dwarf-Lords, 9 to the Men, and One Ring to rule them all.

[@legion2590]

I like how Tiago mentioned the diversity of the minifigs for army building potential. I was definitely thinking of buying 4-5 of this set just for the figs to army build. Seems reasonable. Joking aside, great review as usual.

[@TiagoCatarino]

"if it weren't for the price and size of it all" ;)

[@catsuaneasura898]

LED light straps around the model set to orange would be hot for display

[@AndrewHadland]

3 7 9 1 is a reference to the rings of power, three for the elves, seven for the dwarves, 9 for men and one ring to rule them all. I enjoyed the dining room quip as a reference to the line “looks like meats back on the menu boys”

[@m_afol]

There is clear information that Sauron throne room is in the deepest levels of Barad-dur. Completely different as it is - in the tower.

[@CharlieRoberts407]

I will never financially recover 😂

[@csullivancox]

Contrasting this review from a LEGO designer vs the one from Dave (solid brix, an “amateur”) is very interesting and helpful. Love you Tiago.

[@SilverEye91]

Actually in the books and Tolkien's letters it's at the very least strongly suggested that Sauron does have a body and has returned to physical form, sitting in the dark tower. So that's probably Sauron's throne.

[@ComicBoy750]

While I can’t afford this set & would have nowhere to put it if I could, I do really want to just get that Sauron minifigure by itself when it appears on BrickLink. Yes it’s gonna be like $50 on BrickLink but a least that’s way cheaper than buying a whole massive flagship titan set I’m not interested in, especially when my budget could be spent elsewhere this June like with the new Ninjago, Jurassic World, & Star Wars set releases.

[@htsbrickreviews]

7:25. “LOOKS LIKE MEATS BACK ON THE MENU BOYS”

[@clark2109]

I thought this would be a no brainer buy for me, but it's not quite as clean as I would have imagined. Very noisy and cut in half for an unnecessary interior imho. Maybe I'll finally get Gringotts instead!

[@CyrilBdok]

The "Menu" is a reference to a line in the movie uttered by an orc: "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!"

[@lunch2102]

Yet again, great review, unbiased, honest including negatives unlike many others in the LAN but best of all, price in AUD...

[@qwerty-cs4pv]

it's definitely great at capturing the essence of the original line, especially when compared to rivendell. with the senseless abundance of features and simplification of some areas (wall panels and stickers), it feels much more authentic

[@Aldiraider]

personally i think Saurons Legs are to short, Lego should have given him the longer legs that the Navi (from Avatar) have but in Black(grey). And that would mean the Tower should have been higher too.

[@exhileris4k857]

I do think that between gondor and helms deep, that helms deep should be considered next, since it is a militaristic location of lotr, just like how barad dur shares those same elements as well as it has been incorporated in this build as well. But another reason is that the set would most likley be horizontal in building format, much like rivendell. And then later on the year after next, Gondor would be appropriately be next since it combining all the design aesthetics that the designers would have learned from rivendell, barad dur, and supposedly helms deep if it ever releases next year.

[@Espen_Danielsen]

J.R.R. Tolkien passed away in 1973 - but the numbers reversed could also symbolize Three rings for the Elves. Seven for the Dwarves. Nine for Men. And on to rule them all...

[@Bluehunt11]

The minifigures and armour in this one is so good

[@Tequila4Two]

I can't believe you didn't know the meaning behind the scroll: 3 rings for the Elves 7 for the Dwarves 9 for Men and 1 to rule them all. Btw, again a great review as always!

[@frantasy1000]

Considering it is Lego, the humour fits very well in this set and is very on brand when you see the humour they inject into their video games.

[@martazedbricks]

Can't wait to exchange my points for this beauty 🎉

[@thp154]

Now all we need is the Witch King.

[@Travelmatt23]

It certainly looks an impressive set. As someone who’s yet to purchase either, Rivendell is attracting me that little bit more.

[@jamiemacdonald5958]

Just picked this up in Japan tax free and with the weak yen got jt £110 cheaper than the uk retail price so feeling pretty chuffed!

[@natecorsn9097]

The orange bit in the middle I think is meant to show some of the lava glow on the actual fortress

[@briandain8432]

The Banquet hall just screams Bad Guy Poker night!! I had forgotten The Eye was in the Lego Batman Movie.

[@nikosplanet94]

i think that the red light brick has one disadvantage. Somehow they had to create it in a way that when triggered it had to stay shined. It's not so usable when you have to push it in order to shine.

[@TommyWalker1991]

I’m with you hoping there should be more LotR Lego sets. There are so many iconic locations: Minas Tirith, Helms Deep (exploding wall, anyone?), Bag End, Mines of Moria and Bridge of Khazad dum, Isengard (so you can have the Two Towers), Edoras, Weathertop. Endless possibilities 🤩