It’s been over 20 years since Tolkien’s classic books were transformed into a trilogy of films, which are still considered cinematic masterpieces. The tales from Middle-earth followed the forming of a fellowship, who are tasked with returning the One Ring to Mordor and casting it into the fire from which it was forged. Those films led to a number of LEGO® sets inspired by the iconic trilogy of films. Even now, there is a fondness for the long-retired theme, but this year has seen it return and what a way to make a comeback. The set which is subject to my latest review is an impressive 6,167-piece recreation of the Elven realm of Rivendell. It’s a beautiful location, which is also where the fellowship first meet and begins their memorable quest. But does The Lord of the Rings brick-built return offer an equally memorable LEGO build experience? Let’s see, as both the eye of Mordor and my own is cast upon Rivendell. The first part of my review will focus on the first two buildable sections and the minifigures.
Product Description
Journey into Rivendell™ with this LEGO® The Lord of the Rings™ collectible (10316). Based on the Middle-earth™ valley where the famous quest began, this impressive 6,167-piece project for adults is bursting with details that film fans will adore.
Bring iconic scenes to life
The building set is decorated with foliage that creates the feeling of being deep inside the Rivendell™ forest and includes magical details including an elven forge, Elrond’s cluttered study, the Shards of Narsil™, plus paintings and statues from the history of Middle-earth™. It also comes with 15 minifigures to bring favourite scenes to life. The minifigures have detachable legs, so you can seat them around the table to recreate the iconic Council of Elrond™ scene.
- Set Name: The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell
- Set Number: 10316
- Theme: LEGO Icons
- Pieces: 6167
- RRP: £429.99/$499.99/499.99€
- Number of Bags: Bags x 47 (plastic) + loose elements
- Stickers: Sheet x 2
- Minifigures: Frodo, Sam, Bilbo Baggins, Boromir, Gimli, Aragorn, Legolas, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf the Grey, Arwen, Elrond, Gloin, Elves x 2
- Instructions: Booklet x 1 + LEGO Building Instructions App
- Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online and LEGO Retailers from March 5th, 2023 VIP Early Access
We first witness the splendour of Rivendell partway through the Fellowship of the Ring, as Frodo is taken there, following his run-in with the Nazgûl at Weathertop. As Frodo recovers, representatives of the once ring-bearing powers of Middle-earth convene to discuss the fate of the Ring of Power – the One Ring to rule them all. Rivendell is a hidden sanctuary of the Elves, which sits in the foothills of the Misty Mountains. Its location and the skilled work of its Elven builders make Rivendell a place of great beauty, both on film and as the inspiration for this LEGO set.
It’s not the first time Rivendell has been portrayed in a LEGO set. During the first run of the LEGO The Lord of the Rings theme, a very much smaller version was released. The Council of Elrond only featured a couple of minifigures and a small section of the Elven realm. The history of The Lord of the Rings’ first LEGO journey is briefly touched upon in the set’s instructions.
The build is split into three sections, each of which is represented by an individual instruction booklet. The covers are still fairly minimal, but they are at least unique to this set, with a sketch-style image showing which section you’ll be building. The first booklet also details the LEGO Design Team behind the set. I would have liked a more in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the set’s creation and its inspiration. There are also two sheets of stickers, they add some pretty nice details, so I’m not too fussed that they are included over printed parts.
The first section of the build begins with the left-hand side of Rivendell, which features Elrond’s study, the bedroom in which Frodo recovers from his injury inflicted by the Ring Wraths and the tower section of the main hall. In total, the set includes 49 numbered bags, along with some loose pieces. As you build, you’ll notice some steps require the use of two bags to be opened at the same time.
This section of the great hall mainly focuses on the impressive exterior of the building, but some of the interiors have been included. The most noticeable is the bedroom, where both Frodo recovers and where we also reunite with a visibly aged Bilbo. The elderly Hobbit spent his time in Rivendell writing about his adventures. This is done in a small study area, tucked under the roof section of the building.
The upper section also includes a section of the outer wall. Instead of leaving this blank, it features a great piece of artwork. This shows the faithful moment, Isildur relieves Sauron of the Ring of Power. I think many will be dreading building the roof sections of Rivendell. The multi-coloured tiled roof may look nice but it’s tricky to build. Thankfully, the instructions are clear in showing where the various 1×1 tiles are placed and there’s even a handy method shown to make sure they all line up nicely.
At the opposite end of the set, is an area which focuses on the natural landscape of Rivendell. This includes an ornate gazebo, a stone bridge which crosses a babbling brook and a pair of trees. Great effort has been made to give this section of the build a textured and natural look. It features some interesting connection methods to help create the various layered parts of Rivendell’s surrounding area.
To help capture the woodland setting of Rivendell, a new plant element has been created for the set. This is a single leaf mounted on a stud. It’s a nice little part, which will certainly be useful elsewhere. Although part of the build is focused on the exterior, there is a small section which reaches partly inside the building. This is less detailed compared to elsewhere in the set but it’s partly used as a forge, with the rest of it found outside this cave. The most eye-catching part of this area is the white gazebo. Obviously, its colouring stands out against the natural colours surrounding it. It’s also an ornate-looking structure with a mixture of elements combined in interesting ways. It can be a little awkward to get them all lined up nicely.
As with many LEGO sets inspired by films with a team of characters, their minifigures are often spread across sets. This means you’ll need to buy various sets to get them all. So this is the first set to include the entire fellowship of nine. Many of the characters have a similar appearance to their previous versions. They largely use the same elements. Although they also make use of updated or brand-new pieces. So you’ll notice the hobbits now have dual-moulded short legs. These are much better at capturing the barefooted look of the halflings. The ageing version of Bilbo also features in the set and includes a different style of hair compared to the other Hobbits.
The rest of the fellowship is pretty much the same as their original versions. There are design tweaks to their outfits and slightly different faces. Gandalf has ditched his legs for the curved-style dress/robe piece. Legolas and the rest of Elves now use a newer version of their long-hair/pointed ears hairpiece. You’ll also notice the weapons have been updated. Gimli now has unique axes and many of the swords are new elements.
With the set inspired by the home of the Elves, it’s not a surprise the set features a few of them. Elrond has been updated compared to his past version. As previously mentioned, this includes the use of a new hairpiece. I much prefer this style, with his crown included as print detail on the head compared to the original version. The use of a skirt/robe piece in place of legs also works better for his general look. Arwen appears in her white gown in this set. I’m not a fan of her face print, it’s not unique but it doesn’t capture the look of the Elven maiden, instead, it makes her look quite stern. The set also features some background characters. These include a male and female elf, along with Gloin, who is briefly seen arriving with Gimli at the Council of the Ring.
Some characters have the ability to have their appearance tweaked by swapping out their hats or helmets with a hairpiece. But the most unique way of changing characters’ looks involves a little building. You can switch Elrond and Gandalf’s ‘skirt’ pieces for a ‘seated’ version. You can also swap the legs of both Frodo and Bilbo to allow them to sit. This involves a pair of ‘headlamp’ bricks and 1×1 plates. Both techniques work surprisingly well and I’m surprised it’s not been done before.
The set list the fact it includes 15 minifigures, where in actual fact the total is 21. Along with the various characters featured in the set, there are also 6 Elven statues. Although they aren’t characters, they use all the same pieces as a minifigure. Five of them are mounted around the base of the tower and the 6th is found in the great hall, holding the Shards of Narsil.
Overall
That concludes the first look at the Rivendell. Stay tuned for the second part of my review very soon. One thing I’ll say is that after finishing the first part of the set, I knew it was instantly something special. I’m a fan of the original films and still have many of The Lord of the Rings on display. Even with the only part of the complete, it acts as an amazing tribute to both the original films and the much-loved LEGO theme. The level of detail these two sections have is amazing. It also uses some interesting build techniques to achieve some of them. Thankfully none of them is too complex, although some can be a little fiddly. The minifigures are equally incredible. They stay true to their original appearances but have welcomed tweaks to their designs. The change of legs on the Hobbits may seem minor but it greatly improves the characters.
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This set was provided BricksFanz and provided by the LEGO Group for purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or New Line Cinema. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
