Introduction

Hi everyone, Matt Z. here with another article for Newfoundlug.ca.

Initially, I was going to write a standard review of the new 10333 The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr LEGO set just released this June. However, I realized I had a bit more to comment on outside of just the set. Instead, this will be more of a quasi-review/opinion article, using the set as a platform to comment on the changing landscape of new highly-priced LEGO releases, or at least, my take on it all.

Background

I’m a bit of a Lord of the Rings (LOTR) fanatic, at least as far as the films are concerned. It is my most cherished franchise and the films are my favourite movies of all time. I’ve spent the better part of two decades immersed within the LOTR IP- be it collectables, video games, artwork, and traditional media. If it’s LOTR, I’m passionate about it.

So when LEGO released their initial wave of LOTR sets in 2012, it was a marriage of two of my favorite things. Naturally, I was on a mission to collect all sets and minifigures. The Brickheadz line notwithstanding, I accomplished that goal. I proudly own all 110 unique minifigures (and counting…).

And so, after LEGO LOTR went into hibernation on a ~10-year hiatus, it finally stormed back last year with the brilliant and true candidate for best LEGO set of all time, 10316 The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell. This set has been widely lauded as one of the best LEGO sets of modern times, winning set of the year on a variety of different polls across the international LEGO community. It is a must-have for any LEGO LOTR fan, and arguably any fan of LEGO in general.

And with that, it was official: LEGO LOTR was back in a big way.

Exit Light, Enter Night

LEGO took note of the popularity of Rivendell, and the resurging (or is it everlasting?) interest in LOTR. As such, they announced the release of 10333 Barad-dur- a departure from the light realm of the Elven folk, and into the evil dark depths of Mordor to Sauron’s home base.

Of all the potential options for the next LOTR set Barad-dur, while not on the top of my list, seemed like a natural choice. For years, LEGO LOTR fans have been begging to have a Sauron minifigure (as shown in the Fellowship prologue) represented in LEGO. It seems natural to recreate his home tower and the Eye of Sauron, given its ever-ominous presence as a focal point throughout the films. It also closes a loop on “The Two Towers” with 2013’s 10237 Tower of Orthanc being one of the best LEGO LOTR sets to date.

Bigger ≠ Better

After completing Barad-dur, I took 48 hours to really sit back and contemplate the set as a whole. Its price tag of $599.99 CAD places it in the realm of most expensive Lego sets, up there with the likes of Rivendell. I’ll take a more technical look at the set before commenting further:

The good:

• The detailing on the parapets and buttress sections of the tower are much better than I originally anticipated from the photos. There are still some advanced level techniques in use here, and certain sections hearken back to 2013’s Orthanc in terms of detail.
  
  
• The ten (10) minifigures provided exceeded my expectations. Sauron is obviously the talisman of the set, but the others were impressive as well. If this is the first time getting the Mouth of Sauron, you’re likely thrilled to own this fig alongside Sauron. Gothmog, a named baddie from the films, is also here and I think that’s a great addition to the library of LOTR figs.
  
  
• New molded helmets were a great surprise. I love these. I’d even throw the new orc shield in there as well- a lovely printed piece, even if not accurate to Mordor orcs in the films. Sam and Frodo’s helmets were bang-on accurate, and I thought they were a great inclusion, even if they never really come close to Barad-dur in the films.
  
  
• Sauron’s throne room was one of the few highlights from the interior of the build for me. The mechanism to reveal the Palantir behind the throne is great. On top of that, the printed Palantir (ie. dual-sided minifig head), depicting the burning white tree of Gondor, as well as bag end/the Shire, is just an amazing inclusion. Details like these are cherished, and I’m sure other LOTR fans would agree. It was also here where they chose to tile the majority of the floor and I thought that was a great decision.
  
  
• They nailed the Eye of Sauron – I love the design and I think they arguably knocked the ball out of the park here. I can’t find a real fault in the design. The ability for it to move is great too, and I don’t mind the black pieces behind the eye as much as some others do. The light brick is a nice touch although not necessary to make this great; the design stands on its own.
  
  
• Speaking of which, the concept of “source lighting” – making certain portions of the build appear as though they are lit up by a source of light – succeeded in certain areas. For example, I think the Eye of Sauron and the orange colouring of the surrounding parts works charmingly and effectively. I’d even argue the orange behind the 1×2 grille tile windows works too. It’s a unique technique to break up the overall black colour of the build.
  
  
• The detail on the final spire portion of the tower is great. I think the spire part (ie. instruction booklet #3) was easily my favourite section to assemble, and admire, on the completed model. It’s here where LEGO has pitched the idea of adding additional sections to the modular nature of the tower, and I can see MOCing enthusiasts dabbling in that as well.
  

The bad:

• The interiors are mainly sparse. I think for a set of at this price point, you need to have fully realised interiors. There’s a lot of empty space on almost every level, and no amount of stickers (or lack thereof – see ground floor reddish-brown wall panels) is going to make up for that. I don’t think the included functionality (ie. door mechanism (which is fun) or moving ladder in a library) make up for an overall lack of interior detail.
  
  
• A lot of parts went into the substantially massive base of the tower. I mean, its gargantuan. I think I’d rather some of the piece count go towards more detail on the interior, or even just overall finer detailing throughout. Better yet, shave off these pieces and pass along the cost-savings to us.
  
  
• The source lighting technique, mentioned above as a pro, is equally a con in certain places. On the top of the buttresses, I didn’t get the sense that they were reflecting the light from the lava below. They just looked like various shades of orange/nougat tile where there should be black tile. Maybe that’s just me, but I didn’t get it.
  
  
• The lava design just didn’t do it for me. At times, I felt that they were introducing too many colours into the equation. Between trans-orange, trans-yellow, and trans-red, the lava patterns were a bit too chaotic. Placing black plate on top of the lava in certain sections also didn’t resonate with me.
  
  
• Speaking of which, the rockwork falls into a similar category. In the preview images for this set, I had commented to some friends that the rockwork looked too…blocky. I was hopeful that, like many sets, it would look better in person. Unfortunately, I didn’t find that to be the case this time. The rockwork almost looks 8-bit in places, something that would be more suited for a Minecraft set than an advanced LOTR build. Rockwork is among some of the most challenging of features to craft and really get right in LEGO form. But I’ve seen MOCs out there in the wild with more natural, organic looking rockwork. It’s too bad, because a lot of resources/parts were committed to this section when I’m not sure they needed to be.
  
  
• In that same vein (pardon the pun), the rocky vein/skarn that crosscuts the tower seemed almost too blocky or “junior”, for lack of a better word. Again, while it is screen accurate, the execution of this rocky section just didn’t do it for me. It uses the SNOT technique which is great but dilutes itself with large blocky pieces instead of smaller pieces and more intricate detail.
  
  
• At times, there’s a great debate between exposed studs (ie. brick and plate) versus tile. I for one welcome both approaches in a build- I think there’s a time and place for exposed studs just as I do tile. However, Barad-dur almost feels like it can’t make up its mind in places. The general gist here is exposed studs for the exterior environment, whereas the tower has more tile/smooth surfaces. Generally that works in this set, but there are some occasions where the interiors felt incomplete. For example, we get some nice tiling in Sauron’s throne room, but there are some gaps for exposed studs. It’s even more exacerbated in the dining hall and forge/entrance level. There are some tiles around, but it’s more like an afterthought rather than a planned approach.
  
  
• I do find it funny that we’re suddenly assigning etiquette to orcs. We get fresh greens and utensils (in the form of forks- which is a rare part) on the table in the dining hall. I know that not much is known about the interior of Barad-dur so there is some room for the imagination here. I just don’t understand why it isn’t a bit more sinister and less formal (“Gothmog, please keep your elbows off the table and use your fork”).
  
  
• Getting super technical now, but the standard Uruk-hai sword is repurposed here for the Mordor orcs. In the films, this sword is a particular style of scimitar, forged in and assigned to the more potent Uruk-hai hailing from Isengard. Technically speaking, the Mordor orcs used more hap-hazard, crudely design weapons and armour (in the films). A couple new sword molds would have been great to see here.
  
  
• Some others have mentioned this, and I’d agree: there’s a missed opportunity here to give Sam and Frodo unique torsos with orc armour. The helmets are fantastic- but like much of this build, only feels like a half-measure. They could have completed the job and gave them new torsos, instead of repurposing their figs from Rivendell. Alas, profit.
  

An AFOL set with Non-AFOL Features

When I step back and consider this set, I’m really torn. For one, LOTR is so important to me and seeing anything from Middle-Earth represented in LEGO is my bread and butter. I’m truly thrilled to see LOTR back in the limelight and being so well received. It’s fantastic that new locations from the films are being explored and for that I am grateful.

However, when I compare this set to its immediate predecessor in Rivendell, the differences are too stark to ignore. Rivendell is simply in another class altogether, no matter which way you slice it up- technical, minifigures, aesthetics, and design. When we now know what LEGO is capable of producing at this high, luxurious price point, we can’t settle for less in the proceeding sets, and it stings to see that manifest itself here in Barad-dur.

An inflection point?

Over and above this particular set, LEGO has been pumping out some highly-priced luxury sets recently which begs the question: is this the new normal? And if so, what are our expectations from such highly priced sets?

When I look at Rivendell, I not only see a set whose price point is targeted at an adult audience, but whose design and aesthetics attempt to justify that price. Comparing that to Barad-dur, I see a similar price point, but I see what appears to be a large playset-scale set that could satisfy the 6–12-year-old segment. Therein lies my concern: when will the AFOL say “enough” to the numerous, highly priced luxury-style sets? And if they do decide to part with their hard-earned money, what do they expect from that set? The existence of Rivendell and other AFOL-inspired sets via the Bricklink Designer Program, shows what TLG are capable of. In that vein, I feel like Barad-Dur falls observably short.

Conclusion

I hope that this review doesn’t deter fans of LOTR or this particular set. That said, I am writing from an AFOL point of view, for an AFOL audience. And as a LOTR fan, any critique is coming from a place of genuine enthusiasm and passion and not from a place of wanting LEGO LOTR, or its fans, to fail.

I know there are many people across various age groups who may or may not have had the opportunity to secure the initial 2012-2013 LOTR sets and figs. So I will never begrudge anyone for making this purchase. I simply think that there is an opportunity here to step back and consider the overall product offering and the value-proposition of these high-priced, luxury LEGO sets. Bigger doesn’t always equate to better, and Barad-dur inadvertently waves that flag in a few ways. It would be nice to see smaller, well-thought-out LOTR sets which still remain targeted at the AFOL market, and accessible to all.

Until next time,

Matt Z.