Monthly Archives: November 2012

LEGO Hobbit 79000 Riddles for the Ring [Review]

The LEGO Hobbit sets just started shipping officially today, but I have a couple more sets I picked up early locally, so to help you decide which to get right away, I’ll be posting some more reviews today, starting with 79000 Riddles for the Ring.

The Build Process

At just 105 and $9.99, this is the smallest set (excluding the little polybags) among both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings LEGO sets. There’s not a lot to the build, to be sure, but what struck me as I built the rock section where Gollum hides the One Ring is that LEGO a few years ago might have released this set with a Big Ugly Rock Piece. Instead, I found myself building a fairly intricate little hidey-hole with some nice landscaping (lots of dark gray cheese slopes) and a fun mechanism to flip the hidden ring in and out of view.

Gollum’s boat is pretty much what you’d expect — you could probably reverse-engineer it from just the one picture above — but the designers have added some bones for a nice spooky effect indicative of Gollum’s true nature.

Minifigures

The set includes Bilbo Baggins and Gollum. Interestingly, Gollum’s face print is different from the one in 9470 Shelob Attacks.icon I’m generally not a fan of single-purpose minifigs, but it’d be hard to imagine Gollum as a “normal” minifig. At least his arms are articulated and he has a stud on his back (presumably so Sam can attach some elven rope to it).

Bilbo is the same minifig as the one in 79004 Barrel Escape. As has been the case in nearly all recent LEGO sets, both Bilbo’s head and torso are printed on both sides.

Parts

Excluding the minifigs, most of the 105 parts in the set are dark gray, and there’s nothing spectacular or new in terms of selection. You also get two One Rings rather than three (something we got used to in the Lord of the Rings sets). Considering the inclusion of the two minifigs in a $10 set, this might not be the cheapest way to bulk up your “rock collection” for LEGO landscaping, but the set does include a lot of dark gray slopes of several varieties, plus some dark tan.

(BrickLink has the full inventory at this point, so I haven’t scanned the pages at the back of the instruction booklet.)

The Finished Model

Gollum’s hidey-hole opens and closes, and a rock flips up to reveal the ring.

LEGO Hobbit 79000 Riddles for the Ring

It’d be interesting to see a LEGO fan extend this idea to a full-scale underground lake, but there’s not much else to the set. Still, there’s actually quite a bit of play value in the little boat and the One Ring’s hiding place.

Value

At a time when most LEGO sets at this price point are $12 or $15, a licensed set with two minifigs and 105 pieces at $10 is an excellent value.

Recommendation

One copy is a must-buy for anybody interested in Tolkien LEGO, but I’d recommend multiple copies for LEGO Castle builders and anybody starting to specialize in LEGO models of Middle Earth (as I know some Castle builders are beginning to do) — this set is a fantastic way to bulk up on both Hobbit minifigs and landscaping parts. (Notice that I said “both;” if you’re just after the readily available gray parts, you’re probably overpaying.)

79000 Riddles for the Ring is available now from both LEGO.com and Amazon.com.

Read all of my reviews of the latest LEGO Hobbit sets here on The Brothers Brick:

LEGO Hobbit sets out now from the LEGO Shop [News]

We expected LEGO to officially release the LEGO Hobbit sets on December 1st, but they’re now available (perhaps spurred on by their early availability from places like Amazon.com). All of the new Hobbit sets are out on LEGO.com, and free shipping applies on orders over $99 through December 18.

Here’s the full list of sets:

  • 79000 Riddles for the Ring: 105 parts and two minifigs (Bilbo Baggins and Gollum). This is a nice little set — we’ll have a full review up later today.
  • 79001 Escape from Mirkwood Spiders: Includes 298 pieces and four minifigs (Fili, Kili, Legolas, and Tauriel). Read my review of 79001 here on TBB.
  • 79002 Attack of the Wargs: 400 pieces at $49.99, and minifigs include Thorin Oakenshield, Bifur, Yazneg, and two orcs, plus two wargs. This is another set I picked up early here in Seattle, so I’ll try to get a review posted here on TBB later today as well.
  • 79003 An Unexpected Gathering: My current favorite set of all time. With an MSRP of $69.99, Bag End has 652 pieces and six minifigs — Gandalf, Bilbo, Balin, Dwalin, Bofur, and Bombur.
  • 79004 Barrel Escape: This set includes 334 pieces at $39.99, with five minifigs — Bilbo, Oin, Gloin, Thranduil the Elvenking, and a Mirkwood elf guard.
  • 79010 The Goblin King Battle: At $99, this set has 841 parts and 7 minifigs — Gandalf, Dori, Ori, Nori, the Goblin King, a goblin scribe, and two goblins.

I know we’ve had a lot of sales news lately, but a percentage of everything you buy on the LEGO Shop and Amazon.com goes toward supporting what we do here on The Brothers Brick, from servers to contest sponsorships. Thanks very much for all your support over the years!

The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder’s Guide [Review]

No Starch Press recently sent us a review copy of their latest Technic offering, The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder’s Guide by Paweł “Sariel” Kmieć.

The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide

I found the book to be full of very useful information. I am not an expert Technic builder by any means and when I first thumbed through the book I was overwhelmed by the amount of detail that the book offers. However, when I actually started reading the book, I found that the way Paweł presents the information made everything very clear. He starts with basic concepts and then builds upon them throughout the book in a very clear and concise fashion. I think any adult LEGO fan will be able to follow this book and incorporate the techniques into their own creations. But this book is not for young builders. Many, if not most, of the techniques are quite advanced and would lead to frustration for younger builders.

The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide

The book consists of 333 pages divided up into five parts: Basics, Mechanics, Motors, Advanced Mechanics and Models. The first three sections give you the groundwork needed to understand the Technic system and how the majority of the parts work. I found this to be very helpful. I have used many Technic pieces over the years but wasn’t clear on the functions of each and every part. These first three sections are a great reference of Technic pieces and their functions, as well as being vital in introducing the terminology used throughout the rest of the book. I highly recommend reading these sections in depth and not skipping ahead.

The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide

The fourth section, Advanced Mechanics, teaches you how to design and build transmissions, steering systems, suspensions for wheeled and tracked vehicles along with other concepts and ideas.

The fifth and final section instructs the reader in designing and planning their own models.

Overall, I would recommend this book for any adult builder who is interested in becoming more familiar with Technic and using Technic in their own creations. The book is well-laid out and the information is presented clearly. It is definitely an asset that deserves a place on the shelf.

Visit No Starch Press for this and other LEGO-related books. is also available on Amazon.com.

LEGO Hobbit sets available on Amazon.com [News]

3 of the new Hobbit sets have shown up on Amazon, keep your eyes peeled for the rest to make their way for sale soon. The list includes: LEGO The Hobbit An Unexpected Gathering, LEGO The Hobbit Escape from Mirkwood Spiders, and LEGO The Hobbit Riddles for The Ring.

The Way The World Will End (I Hope)

Flickr user OliveSeon has built some of the most impressive large town dioramas I’ve seen. There are lots of people building cityscapes using official sets mixed in with their own creations and landscaping, but rarely are the official sets so well integrated. Additionally, he’s packed them both chock full of terrific details of his own, like a giant gazebo, full depth swimming pool and surf pool, a large factory, and lots of other fantastic stuff.

Here’s the first:

But just building a placid town wasn’t cool enough. No, on his second diorama, OliveSeon has gone for full-out apocalyptic anarchy, old-school style, with Godzilla battling a Gundam across the seaside city, turning what was already a stunning diorama into pure awesomeness. The flame effects are particularly awesome, and very reminiscent of their on-screen special effects counterparts.


Be sure to check out both of OliveSeon’s other dioramas as well, each of which are worthy of their own posts: though untitled, I believe they are Disneyland and San Francisco. A thorough perusal of all the photos will be rewarded, as there are brilliant details to be discovered in every picture.

BrickArms featured on NPR & in new book on “makers”

I’ve been a fan of BrickArms ever since Will Chapman won me over during a talk at BrickCon way back in 2006. Since then, Will has expanded his business to a new dedicated location, released more new designs than we can keep up with, and been featured in numerous publications and media outlets.

NPR logoThe latest coverage of BrickArms was on NPR today. Will explains how his son’s interest in World War II inspired him to create BrickArms, and the story covers a bit of the process Will uses to design his minifigs and accessories. You can listen to the full story on NPR.org.

Following the feature Chris Anderson wrote for WIRED magazine a couple years ago, he expanded the piece into a full-length book titled Makers: The New Industrial Revolution.

I haven’t read the book yet, but we’re told that BrickArms features prominently in the longer work as well, providing an example of how individuals and small business can incubate innovation and deliver interesting new products, without the staff and apparatus of traditional corporations.

If you’ve read the book yourself already, let us know what you think in the comments.

Fredo busts out Captain America

I always enjoy when a LEGO builder surprises me. As much as I love all of the mecha, sky-fi, and Vic Vipers that Fredoichi builds, he’s actually quite a diverse builder who’s been dabbling recently in medium-scale sculptures. His latest is an interesting bust of Captain America.

Lego Captain America Bust

Fredo accomplishes some of the detail with stickers, and says, “Stickering took more time than the actual build.” If the result looks this great, who am I to quibble with such non-purist ways?

10221 Super Star Destroyer 20% off on Amazon

Amazon currently has the LEGO Star Wars Super Star Destroyer 10221 on sale at $319.97. Other notable sales include LEGO Creator Maersk Train 10219, LEGO Star Wars 10225 R2D2, and LEGO Star Wars 9515 The Malevolence.

Autumn in the Park

My favorite quote from H.P. Lovecraft inspired this surrealist work. The quote goes like this: “the blind cosmos grinds aimlessly on from nothing to something and from something back to nothing again, neither heeding nor knowing the wishes or existence of the minds that flicker for a second now and then in the darkness.”

Autumn in the Park

You can buy this creation from Creations for Charity, and there’s only 5 days left before the store closes for this year!

Lego westie from Cesar’s dog food commercial

This Lego westie by ccy_8086 is one of the most adorable creations I’ve seen. The multitude of slopes worked out really well as opposed to a traditional bricks and plates approach.

LEGO_Westie_001

An extraordinary thing happened one day...

Many are familiar with the tale of the Pied Piper, the unpaid man with the magical flute by which he deprived a town of their children after they attempted to thank him for public service rather than pay him his due.

Cyrille (TheBrickAvenger) has illustrated the first bit of this tale quite exquisitely. There are a lot of little details I like here, with tiles as part of the stone walls and Tyler‘s roof design. I like how the eye is drawn to the center, too, with the Pied Piper and his rats behind him.

Hawken assault mech by curtydc

After Ma.Ktober, we’ve given mecha a bit of a rest, but this walker by Curtis Collins (curtydc) from the upcoming game Hawken is too cool to pass up.

HAWKEN Assault Mech

My favorite detail? Curtis found a bent LEGO antenna in his parts bin and incorporated it into his model.