Review: LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Minas Tirith

LEGO Icons Lord of the Rings Minas Tirith 11377 New Release Review

The Beacons have been lit! Gondor calls for construction!

Minas Tirith is a LEGO set that I never thought I would see, and the fact it is now the largest LEGO Lord of the Rings set is just as crazy. Yes, LEGO have given us yet another June launch of a LEGO Lord of the Rings set, and with it comes more figures, more mighty models and more pains in our wallets. With a hefty pricetag of now $1000AUD, how does it hold up? Is it worth the price? Read on!

Exterior / Microscale

The first thing I need to say about this set is that it is a heft of a build – over 8000 parts is crazy to me. This is 2000+ more parts than Rivendell, 3000+ more than Barad-dur. This is expected with microscale sets, but this is verging on comparison with the Colosseum set, and this one also has figures too.

Getting ahead of myself here.

The exterior of the Minas Tirith is a multi-layered model comprising of minifigure-esque scale, micro scale and then a nanoscale to create forced perspective effect. The reality is that this is a city that is obsessively large, and LEGO have had to make a few design creative compromises to be make the set possible.

LEGO still have tried to opt for some play in this set by giving us a small market on the other side of the main walls of the lower level. Here, on the other sides of the door, gives us an armour stand, weapons, beacons and even a stall for Denethor’s cherry tomatoes. It is a fun little addition to the set, and still follows in a similar manner to Barad-dur’s dungeons or Rivendell’s forge. Is it amazing? No. Am I happy it is here? Yeah.

Higher Levels

Moving our way up the city, we begin to lose all Minifigure dioramas and details in favour for a shift in scale. LEGO does this by using similar structures, like watchtowers or overlooks, and changes the build ever so slightly as the it goes up the model. It’s a subtle technique, but I really like the effect and how it is done. By changing the size of various things intermittently across each floor, the model really showcases its strength. Also, the subtle curvature of the stone that spikes out of Minas Tirith is great.

If I am being honest here however, this fantastic showmanship of craft ultimately makes the minifigure part redundant, as any figure in any of the exterior locations looks out of place.

Up at the highest point of the model is the White Tree, as well as the Hall of Kings. Up here is ultimately were some of the most important parts of the film happen, and I really like how well it is encapsulate in LEGO.

I really like the exterior of the build, but I cannot stress enough that it was a lot of work to do. There is a lot of subtle detailing, but there are also so many small parts. I also found myself wondering if LEGO ever considered putting a Ringwraith and Fell Beast onto the exterior as a micro build – because that’s the first thing I’m doing.

Interior / Minifigure Scale

The interior of the model is a big change from our exterior – switching from microscale to minifigure scale. LEGO have done incredibly well here creating an incredibly accurate representation of the throne of the King.

We get ourselves new printed medium-stone-grey tile elements to emanate the floor from the film, Hylian shields for the chandelier, a mighty throne for the king and snacks for the Steward.

The space feels almost 1 for 1 with the real scene with the amount of translated details. Particular highlights for me include the statues of the former King, the shells and stars that adorn the roof, and the technic arches at the top of the hall. There was admittedly a lot of detail to build into here, and it was a slow burn to see it all slowly build up. That being said, the best part of the model, in my opinion, is hiding behind the main one. I love this space a lot.

I do also love the study nook where Gandalf studies about the ring from the first film, the small bedroom where Pippin touches the Palantir, and Denethor’s tomatoes!

Minifigures

The set comes with a total of 10 Minfigures, as well as one horse to boot.

Gandalf and Shadowfax

Gandalf officially makes his return in this set as Gandalf the White, utilising tan colours to highlight details. Admittedly, I do find the use of tan to be quite startling, compare to the older figure. That being said, it is good to be able to see all these details here. It’s a weird mix of for and against that I ultimately haven’t landed on what I like. But hey, Shadowfax is here – and albeit similar to the Lion’s Knight Castle horse, they are exclusive.

Aragorn and Arwen

As for King Aragorn, LEGO gives us a new moulded crown/hair combo seen on the statues in the main model. The crown does feel like it missing some of the gold that the crown normally has, but it is passable to me. Aragorn’s armour is some of the highest detailed printing that I’ve seen, and even his arm printings are fantastic. I do wish we had a reforged Narsil here.

Partnered with Aragorn is Arwen, dressed in her coronation garb. The dress is simplistic, albeit with some great arm printing on the side. Is this a bad thing? Nope! This is incredibly accurate to the scene, and the banner is also a fantastic piece of LEGO tapestry. What I do not like is the elf hair combbo, which was a previous gripe I had with Rivendell. She seems to slightly have too much forehead, but without the older figure on hand, it passes.

Pippin

Probably my least favourite figure of the set, Pippin comes with a printed torso that matches each of the Gondor troops under their armour, as well as a green cape and sword. The figure ultimately doesn’t have much exclusivity about it, and the dark blue shorts feel amiss with the armour. If this was remoulded with black or even using the dark brown it would have been better. Following this, the green cape would have been better as olive green, better matching the character in these scenes.

Faramir and Denethor

Faramir is a character I have longed for since his appearance in the LEGO Lord of the Rings video game. I love the choice of hair for him, and the armour printing is fantastic. If it were not locked behind such an expensive set, I would love to get many more of this delightful armour combination. Top notch!

Denethor is the Steward for Gondor, and reigns as its leader until Gondor’s heir is found. His armoured self with robes matches his scene where he yells for the Gondor Soldiers to flee. This is an incredibly accurate figure with absolutely no notes. Another stand out figure.

Gondor Soldiers

As for our last figure, it is in actuality four of them. Bar the slight head changes, each of these figures are essentially the same. These figures are undeniably amazing – arm printing, detailed torsos, armour, helmets and shields. I have no issues with these figures, and simply wish that I could get more.

Verdict

This set is simply a fantastic build. The design work that went into the exterior, the thought processes that went behind each level and the subtle shaping is amazing.

That being said, I should say that I don’t like building Microscale. This isn’t a fault of the set, per se, but as a fan of the previous two large models, this is a huge change in the format. I know many new-to-LEGO people who would love a set like this, but don’t have the patience for it. This thing could take over your table for a week or more depending on your build speed.

Furthermore, I don’t think I can justify the price. Understand that I obviously have this for review, and for transparency, this is a model provided by LEGO. But I can honestly say that I when I heard the price point of the set, I was going to give it a pass. Don’t get me wrong – I love Lord of the Rings and it holds a precious place in my heart. But I cannot justify, in any sense, a model that is worth more than my utilities for a month.

LEGO is a reward/luxury, yes, I hear you argue. I have more of an issue with the precedent. I would have been happy with a set half this size – heck even just the walls. Back when LEGO made Helm’s Deep I was absolutely thrilled and stunned by the model.

I simply have found my threshold with LEGO and these types of sets, and its nowhere near that pricepoint. And to furthermore lock other fans out of Lord of the Rings LEGO sets kinda sucks. More sets like The Shire wouldn’t go amiss in size. But this? $1000 is just too much.