Stand with the Rohirrim or bring down the Dark Lord with these awesome LEGO Lord of the Rings sets.
The Lord of the Rings is a massive franchise. Given how popular the franchise is, you’d think it would be huge in the world of LEGO. You’d think it would be on par with LEGO Star Wars or some of the other major franchises. LEGO does make Lord of the Rings sets, but they just don’t make a ton. They put out a good number in 2012-14, and then things went radio silent.
However, in the last three years, they have brought the theme back with some really stunning sets foradult builders, some of the best LEGO sets we’ve seen. So, let’s take a look at the theme and see what some of the best Lord of the Rings sets that they’ve put out are, and hope for some epic new ones!
#6 – The Goblin King Battle (79010)
First, we’ve got an entry frome trio of Hobbit movies. They’re not the best, but I think we have them to thank for getting LEGO into The Lord of the Rings at all. The set shows off the Goblin King and his lair. It’s a pretty decent set that recreates the ramshackle goblin lair. It’s got lots of fun details and playability. I’m also a big fan of the Goblin King minifig that’s included.
#5 – The Battle of Helm’s Deep (9474-1)
Though it’s under 1,500 pieces The Battle of Helm’s Deep is one of the bigger LEGO sets from the 2012-2014 runs. And it’s pretty dang cool. While the scale is wacky, I think it does a really good job of showing the Hornburg and the Deeping wall.
The actual build is great, and while you might get bigger MOC builds of the battle this was an easy one to buy and build. I do think the Minifigs – including Theoden – you get are kind of a let down for a battle and you don’t get any generic good guys, but that is pretty easy to fix on your own. The actual castle looks dang good.
#4 – The Tower of Orthanc (10237)
Speaking of iconic scenes, from The Two Towers we have the impressive Tower of Orthac. Now I don’t think pictures of this really do it justice. It’s a cool, imposing black tower, but the base is just there, and stripped of the surroundings, it’s a bit lacking. But friends, this thing is almost two feet tall. It’s really an impressive build, and with a little base work can look just super cool. You also get an eagle for Gandalf to ride and an Ent in the set. Given how small a lot of these early sets were, this one really stood out.
#3 – The Shire (10354)
The Shire set is the newest of the big LoTR LEGO sets they’ve been putting out each year. It joins the other two (see below) at the pinnacle of large display LoTR sets. They are aimed at a more adult audience that the prior sets. Now of these three I think the Shire is the least cool. In fact,, at just under 2000 pieces it’s also by far the smallest and more in line size-wise with older sets like Orthanc or even Helm’s Deep.
On the flip side it might just be the coziest of the new sets and is super evocative. While it might not have a ton more pieces than some of the older sets, it’s a much more modern and intricate looking set. It also is far easier to display than some other sets. Speaking of…
#2 – Barad-dûr (10333)
Friends and fellow fans, forget everything on the list up to this point. Those were relics of a fallen age. Sauron’s Barad-dûr set forces them all to bow before it with an iron fist. It’s bigger, badder and filled with a will to dominate all LEGO sets.
This is a massive and imposing set. I’m so glad LEGO brought back LoTR as a theme and with the quality of the sets we are getting. The new line is clearly focusing on big prestige sets for collectors and Barad-dûr delivers in spades. It’s got a detailed inside with a ton of details, my favorite being a menu with meat on it. That almost won it top spot, to be honest.
The 5,471-piece build is split into four main sections; the tower section is fully modular. The dark tower features a throne room with a complement containing a map and a ladder to the top floor. The 4th floor is home to Mouth of Sauron’s study, while the 5th floor houses a tower library with a rotating ladder. At the summit of the tower is the Eye of Sauron, which rotates in various directions and features a light brick to make the eye glow.
#1 – Rivendell (10316) Is The Best Lord of the Rings Set
The only set that could beat Barad-dûr is clearly Rivendell. This might just be the most beautiful set LEGO has ever made. It is absolutely stunning. While not as massively imposing as Barad-dûr it’s actually got more parts!
This was the first of the new LoTR sets to come out, released last year, and you can see the grace and beauty of the of the very Valar in it! It’s got a full inside with details and good playability. The set comes with an impressive 21 mini-figs (twice that of Barad-dûr) almost all of which are unique to this set. It really is a LEGO set like no other and an amazing display piece.
It really is a LEGO set like no other and an amazing display piece inspired by one of the most beautiful locations in Peter Jackson’s movies.
- 6,167 pieces
- 15 minifigures
- 15 in. (39 cm) high / 29.5 in. (75 cm) wide / 19.5 in. (50 cm) deep
- Add a light kit
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Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers Warhammer: The Old World, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe mourned over loss of WFB for its entire hiatus, but has been reborn like a gaming phoenix with Warhammer: The Old World.
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