Five Ideas for the 2023 LEGO Lord of the Rings Set

8th October 2022

A recent rumour circling the LEGO world is that the company is planning to release a large scale direct to consumer (D2C) Lord of the Rings set next year. It's reported that the set's price tag will sit at €500, which would likely equate to a piece count of around 6,000. If such a big model does emerge (as the rumours are still very much whispers at the moment), there are a number of possibilities for what LEGO could do. In this article, we highlight five locations from the movie trilogy we would like to see in brick form, and which deserve their own set.

5. Minas Tirith

Taken from the Minas Tirith LEGO Ideas project

One of the most obvious locations missing from the LEGO Lord of the Rings theme is Minas Tirith. The giant capital city of Gondor features heavily in the third movie, where it is besieged by the armies of Mordor. This siege then morphs into the Battle of the Pelennor Fields that takes place over the wide plains surrounding Minas Tirith. A lot happens in this battle, including the demise of two key characters, King Theoden and The Witch-King of Angmar. Such a prominent setting therefore deserves its own set and would allow LEGO to give us some important missing figures, such as the Witch-King, Éowyn, and a Mumak.

Given the size of Minis Tirith, with all its multiple levels, even a 6,000-piece set may need to be mini-scale to capture the whole city. Fingers crossed this wouldn't happen as it would severely limit the playability of the set.

4. Bag End

Taken from the Bag End LEGO Ideas project

LEGO has already brought us Bag End, the idyllic underground home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, in the form of the An Unexpected Gathering (79003) set. As lovely as this set was, it only captured the entrance and dining room. This is a small portion of Bag End, as it's made up of a sprawling labyrinth of rooms, so there's plenty more LEGO could include. And because Bag End is so loved and revered by LotR fans, there is certainly demand for a larger scale version.

3. Rivendell

Taken from the Elf-Haven LEGO Ideas project

A small portion of the Elven town was served up to LEGO fans in the Council of Elrond (79006) set. This focused on the meeting held by Elrond, where the fate of the Ring and who should accompany Frodo to Mordor were decided. Several other locations in Rivendell are seen briefly in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, while the new Rings of Power TV series displays the Elven town in more depth. Its on-screen depictions show a hilltop settlement built around the valley's forest and constructed mainly of wood. There have been several Ideas projects attempting to recreate Rivendell and other Elven buildings that LEGO could take inspiration from.

2. The Prancing Pony

Taken from the The Inn of the Prancing Pony LEGO Ideas project

The Prancing Pony is an inn in the village of Bree where Gandalf intends to meet Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry. Although the Prancing Pony does not appear for long on-screen, some key events happen within its four walls. It's where the hobbits meet Strider (a.k.a Aragorn) for the first time, and it's where Frodo first wears the One Ring. The first movie also sees the Ringwraiths attack the hobbits' empty beds, so a Prancing Pony set would be good for including a large number of central characters as minifigures.

1. The Mines of Moria

Taken from the Khazad Dum Balrog LEGO Ideas project

This is another location that has already in part been depicted in a LEGO set. The Mines of Moria (9473) set gave us a model of the room where the Fellowship battle a troop of orcs and their accompanying cave troll. However, the Mines comprise a whole underground kingdom and it's where arguably the most famous scenes from the whole trilogy occurs. Gandalf's battle with the Balrog gave us a classic movie quote and was an amazing spectacle. A set showing this fight should be equally impressive and could include minifigures of all nine Fellowship members.

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