Tag Archives: Lord of the Rings

LEGO began releasing official Lord of the Rings sets in 2012, followed quickly by LEGO Hobbit sets, but LEGO builders have been recreating the people and places of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth for just as long as there have been books and bricks. Relax in the Shire or battle Saruman and his Uruk-hai army at Helm’s Deep and the Tower of Orthanc, but wherever your LEGO journey takes you, beware the watchful eye of Sauron!

LEGO Witch-king on his fearsome mount

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, and the 20th anniversary of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film, so I think we can look forward to many LEGO tributes in the months to come. This stunning recreation of the feared leader of the Ringwraiths and his reptilian ride by aido k is very detailed and larger than it first seems. The long curving neck and tail are well-crafted, and the dull gray helmet covering the creature’s eyes adds to the ominous look.

The figure of the king of Angmar captures all of the icon details of his spiked helmet and gloves.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO brings the Fellowship back together with the new The Lord of the Rings 10316 Rivendell set [News]

Today LEGO reveals the first truly massive set of 2023, and it’s all about the fantasy world of the Lord of the Rings. The ultimate 10316 Rivendell takes us to one of the most iconic locations of the saga. Consisting of whopping 6,167 pieces, this vast diorama includes dozens of neat details and easter eggs for all the fans of the Lord of the Rings. The set priced at US $499.99 | CAN $669.99 | UK £429.99 will be available exclusively for LEGO VIP members as early as March 5, along with a free 40630 Frodo and Golum BrickHeadz set. Regular customers will be able to get the set online and in LEGO Retail stores starting March 8.

You gondor love this LOTR vignette.

This 16×16 vignette by Fuku Saku brings the half-sunken ruins of Osgiliath to life. The former capital city of Gondor is instantly recognizable in comparison to its big-screen counterpart. The damaged brick, open archways, and domed tower are spot-on with the production design of Peter Jackson’s epic. And bonus points to the Orc’s brick-built legs that create a “wading through the water” effect that perfectly compliments the scene.

The Fall of Gondolin and the diving board like balcony

For their latest LEGO creation Josiah Durand drew inspiration from ‘The Fall of Gondolin’ by J.R.R.Tolkien. Since I am not familiar with the source material, there is little I can say about this creation being true to the story. I can, however, say that it definitely deserves a mention on TBB. The castle is white with some tan details, but the dark grey rock formation it’s build on gives a great contrast in colour. The top of the castle is light grey and it ends with a flat rooftop – a detail we hardly ever see when it comes to LEGO castles. This flat roof is adorned with a diving board like balcony. Which to me always predicts a stand off between two nemeses that ends in one of the two falling off the balcony towards certain death. As we see in Josiah’s creation, that might just happen.

Éowyn stands defiant before the dread Witch-king of Angmar

Éowyn stands with defiance in her heart against the undefeated evil of the Witch-king of Angmar in this LEGO scene by Kai/Geneva. The winds stir under the wings of the dread beast who will meet its end by Éowyn’s blade as it goes for her fallen uncle, King Théoden. The Witch-king of Angmar is a terrifying being, looming over the field of battle as the visage of death. Adorning his helmet are two black magic wands still on their sprue–a cool use of a sprue instead of throwing it out. His weapon features clips to show fabric flying in the wind. The dread beast is fearsome with its large wingspan and sloping body. The transparent-red eyes grant it great menace, and the teeth certainly help with that too! The battlefield slopes towards the foe, speaking of the inevitability of this meeting and the triumph of good over evil.

Sam chose the wrong time to trim the verge

Readers of the Lord of the Rings trilogy can usually point out the differences between the movies and books. Four builds into the first of six installments, builder Thorsten Bonsch represents the book over the movie for this set design. Most notably is the inclusion of the curtains that Gandalf draws before picking up the ring. Minifigure hook hands were used as curtain rings which took a little bit of care since those elements can’t be “clipped” on but have to be slid on from the side. There is a wealth of other techniques displayed from the bucket handles used as a fire-dog to the textured stone fireplace. Loose tiles in the angular wooden floor or lining the round window illustrate staple methods builders employ for added realism. The base frames the scene while also hiding the thickness of the angled tile technique Bonsch uses. The added framing behind the tan wall also provides space for Samwise’s floating head framed amongst the foliage with a furrowed brow.

After telling the story of The Hobbit through 43 different displays with tons of unique techniques and iconic scenes, Thorsten decided to take on the massive project of its sequel series with the help of some yet-to-be-announced builders. We’ll have to wait to see who all is involved since Bonsch won’t be announcing his successor in the series until the end of his contribution.

Smaug the brick-built dragon

We’ve seen LEGO Tudor-style buildings before, and quite often the building is the main focus of the creation. We’ve also seen LEGO brick-built dragons before, and just like the Tudor-style buildings, they too tend to be the main focus of the creation. Not so for KitKat1414, however. They built an amazing Tudor-style house to represent one of the houses of Lake Town and it is lit! No literally, it is on fire!

For the woodwork on the house, Kitkat1414 used window frames and filled those in with bars to represent the wooden beams. In other places, the window frames were filled in with cheese slopes representing stained glass windows. Often these types of buildings can be very earth-toned, and while that’s mostly the case for this one, if you look closely you can spot quite a few colours being used. There is a lot of sand blue and even some lavender hidden in the roof, and the house gets a dark green door which complements the dark red Smaug in a lovely way. The dragon itself is a true work of art and there are multiple parts used in very clever ways. One that really deserves a quick mention is the use of the Bionicle minifigure legs for the dragon’s nose bridge and eye sockets. The last part that deserves a little highlight is the angled bar with stud used to represent icicles. And naturally, there are quite a few Tolkien references hidden in this wonderful build. Can you spot them all?

A new year means a new adventure in Middle-Earth

I love the Lord of the Rings films, but that’s about as far into the Tolkien waters as I’ve ever dipped my toe. But builder Josh is giving folks like me a taste of the deeper lore with this model inspired by the tale of Túrin from The Silmarillion. Here, Morwen bids farewell to Túrin as he ventures off towards the kingdom of Doriath. Josh’s use of round tiles and studs not on top techniques give a realistic rustic texture to the walls of this homestead. And the brilliant use of color for the foliage in the background reminds me of fall in Vermont. Good luck on your travels, Túrin. I hope Josh will update us on your progress. (I know I should just read the book, but it’s more fun this way.)

Three versions of Bag End made from three different LEGO sets.

As a child, one of my favorite things about holding a new LEGO set in hand was turning the box over and looking at all the alternate builds that the set could be reconfigured into. These weren’t official models. There weren’t included instructions for them, like you see in the Creator 3-in-1 sets of today. The pictures were just springboards for your imagination. While the LEGO Group might not market the versatility of their sets in the same way anymore, that doesn’t mean modern sets are any less customizable. And if you need proof of that, legoapprentice has got you covered. He’s built three different versions of Bilbo Baggin’s home, Bag End, made from only the pieces available in three different LEGO sets.

The first version of Bag End is probably closest to the one you’re familiar with. Made from the 21325 Medieval Blacksmith set, this build draws heavily on the medieval roots of Tolkien’s fantasy world. Bilbo looks right at home next to a pair of knights and a blacksmith. And the large chimney up top is no doubt evidence of a kitchen that’s serving up tons of delicious Hobbit meals. Perhaps a pie made from the apples grown on the tree up top.

Click here to see the other alternate versions of Bag End

Out of the Mouth of Sauron

You ever ask yourself “what if Lord of the Rings was a space epic?” Well, builder Steven Wayne Howard certainly entertained the thought. Another SHIPtember contribution, this space citadel was named for the dreadful Mouth of Sauron. Commanded by the lieutenant of the Barad Dur system in the Middle Space galaxy, this terrifying craft laid waste to planets and systems in the name of Sauron’s dominion. With a face like that, it’s no wonder it’s rumored to be the remnants of the galactic tyrant himself. The mouth, spinal cord, and brain are now repurposed under the watch of the black hole known as the Eye of Sauron.

Continue reading →

Smaug the Tremendous taking down Lake-town

To this day it still baffles me that they managed to make three movies out of the book The Hobbit. It’s not a complaint, I do love the movies, but it’s just strange to me. Especially since the book is about a third the length of The Lord of the Rings, which also is three movies long. But let’s not get into that for now. Jaap Bijl drew inspiration from the movie The Hobbit for their latest LEGO creation.

Here we see the dragon Smaug setting flame to Lake-town. The atmosphere Jaap managed to create is amazing. Smaug itself is a miniature and the fire he is breathing is done simple yet really effective with bricks, plates and tiles transitioning from yellow to red. Smaug being dark red makes him feel and look like he is part of the fire he is creating. But what’s interesting is that not a single fire piece was used in this creation, and yet it still looks and feels very much on fire. One thing that also contributes to this great model is the backdrop, which to me hardly even looks like it is edited in. Framing the main scene with a dark brick build archway is a really nice and effective way to set the mood and draw your attention to the center of the picture. However, if you zoom in on the arch you’ll find lots of hidden details in the darkness. Last but not least I would like to note the use of round quarter tile to create those great rooftop shingles.

The Fast and the Fellowship

In 2016, LEGO introduced the Mighty Micros line, featuring heroes and villains doing battle in tiny, individually-themed supercars. Unfortunately, as fun as those sets were, the line was limited to the Marvel and DC licenses. But now builder Milan Sekiz has now offered us a glimpse at what might have been, had the line expanded to Rivendell and beyond. Who cares if there are no internal combustion engines in Middle Earth? These things are adorable. And they perfectly blend the Mighty Micros spirit with the heroes and villains of this epic saga. From Aragon’s horse-powered horse to the Uruk-hai driving a literal white hand, it’s the cutest Tolkien’s work has ever been.

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!

Like this article? Tell all your friends!