@@KiyteML that was an honorable mention. Definitely one of the best Hobbit sets but I always hated how the builds didn’t actually connect so it barely missed the list
Haven't built Barad Dur yet, but someone said that Rivendell is a better Lego set and Barad Dur is a better LOTR set, and I think that's a pretty accurate take on it. Cool video!
Rivendell is an easy #1. Barad-dur from a model perspective is #2 (it's a big tower as opposed to an incredible *location.*) Rivendell somehow manages to include every single on-screen location from the movie and make them perfect. By comparison, Barad-dur has an armory (yawn) a kitchen that takes up an enormous amount of space for what amounts to one joke (meat menu har har), and then some tiny little nothing rooms at the top. I've built both sets and Rivendell is an incredible, brilliant build. It's literally the most fun I've ever had building a lego set. Barad-dur does a very good job of making a set that is entirely rocks and blacks interesting, but it's not even close to as fun of a build. The Sauron minifig is cool, but is inexplicably not tall as he is in the film. The orcs are fine, but Sam and Frodo are just duplicates of the Rivendell figures. The Mouth of Sauron is great, but is almost identical to the previously released one. So the only really new figures of note are Sauron and Gothmog (Gothmog is admitedly a fantastic face print). Arguing that this group somehow beats the entire Fellowship + Bilbo, Arwen, Elrond, (all of whom are brand new looks) and rando elves is just not a take that feels defensible. The only place where Barad-dur is unquestionably better is in the play features - the doors that open are very cool as is the hidden palantir. The two hidden bits (the spider and the rings) are pretty underwhelming, but the Eye of Sauron is just about as good as it could possibly be. Rivendell is a revelation. It's a perfect lego set. Barad-dur is probably as good as they could have done with a set that was never going to be perfect just because they had to invent the interior and piece together a group of minifigs that don't really have much to do with the tower.
LOTR lego was finished when I came out of my dark ages. I've managed to get a few of the sets including the dimensions sets, but I'm not even half way done completing the series. Thanks Lee, great video.
Great list
I'm proud to own Gandolf arrives, shelob attacks, Mirkwood spiders and the 2013 council of elrond.
I started building barad dur so far its a really fun build, its gonna be the magnum opus of my collection
Same here
Great list but I'd probably add the goblin king set. I have it and it looks great
@@KiyteML that was an honorable mention. Definitely one of the best Hobbit sets but I always hated how the builds didn’t actually connect so it barely missed the list
Haven't built Barad Dur yet, but someone said that Rivendell is a better Lego set and Barad Dur is a better LOTR set, and I think that's a pretty accurate take on it. Cool video!
Yeah I think that is an extremely valid take. Thank you!
Rivendell is an easy #1. Barad-dur from a model perspective is #2 (it's a big tower as opposed to an incredible *location.*) Rivendell somehow manages to include every single on-screen location from the movie and make them perfect.
By comparison, Barad-dur has an armory (yawn) a kitchen that takes up an enormous amount of space for what amounts to one joke (meat menu har har), and then some tiny little nothing rooms at the top.
I've built both sets and Rivendell is an incredible, brilliant build. It's literally the most fun I've ever had building a lego set. Barad-dur does a very good job of making a set that is entirely rocks and blacks interesting, but it's not even close to as fun of a build.
The Sauron minifig is cool, but is inexplicably not tall as he is in the film. The orcs are fine, but Sam and Frodo are just duplicates of the Rivendell figures. The Mouth of Sauron is great, but is almost identical to the previously released one. So the only really new figures of note are Sauron and Gothmog (Gothmog is admitedly a fantastic face print). Arguing that this group somehow beats the entire Fellowship + Bilbo, Arwen, Elrond, (all of whom are brand new looks) and rando elves is just not a take that feels defensible.
The only place where Barad-dur is unquestionably better is in the play features - the doors that open are very cool as is the hidden palantir. The two hidden bits (the spider and the rings) are pretty underwhelming, but the Eye of Sauron is just about as good as it could possibly be.
Rivendell is a revelation. It's a perfect lego set. Barad-dur is probably as good as they could have done with a set that was never going to be perfect just because they had to invent the interior and piece together a group of minifigs that don't really have much to do with the tower.
@@submersivemedia9995 I don’t really disagree with these points but Barad Dur is just an infinitely more iconic and cool location
Great list, it’s amazing how well the original LOTR line holds up for me, especially the figures.
LOTR lego was finished when I came out of my dark ages. I've managed to get a few of the sets including the dimensions sets, but I'm not even half way done completing the series. Thanks Lee, great video.
I'm lucky to have every set. One of my prized LEGO collections
Is the LOTR retro series still continuing?
yes, I just recently moved and my studio isn't set up yet. Will take some time to rebuild everything
Out of these I just own Helm’s deep so I’d have to put it at #1.
i guess im the first guy here:D
Welcome!
Solid list. But Rivendell still clears all these
no
I'd go with bara dur as well