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Lego returns to The Lord of the Rings with a $500 Rivendell set

Lego returns to The Lord of the Rings with a $500 Rivendell set

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s elven sanctuary is the latest playset exclusively for adult budgets — and the first new Lego LotR item in a decade

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Lego versions of the Council of Elrond.
Image: Lego

Frodo, Samwise, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Aragon, plus Elrond, Arwen, Bilbo, and more — there’s room in Lego’s just-announced 6,167-piece elven sanctuary Rivendell for the entire Fellowship to debate The One Ring, and the shards of a particularly noteworthy sword.

Not a lot of room, mind you. The $500 set obviously has nothing on the legendary 200,000-piece recreation of Rivendell by Alice Finch and David Frank that’s been the centerpiece at multiple fan conventions.

But back in 2013, the best Council of Elrond you could get from Lego was this:

Image of Lego Gimli, Elrond, Frodo, and Arwen sitting in an unimpressive courtyard.
In 2013, four characters fought for three seats. It only cost $30, admittedly.
Image: Lego

Today — a decade later — we’re getting stunning tiled rooftops, imaginative arches, and enough distinct spaces to recreate multiple scenes from the movies, when Lego could have easily gone microscale instead. You’ll want to blow up this image, especially, to see how much thought went into it:

Like many fans, I do wish Lego would print more original bricks instead of using stickers that’ll eventually peel, but I do love that Frodo gets his hand-me-down Mithril armor and that Bilbo’s working on his book in these little scenes. Many of the sword elements are brand-new, and Gimli’s helm looks fantastic. It’s also interesting that Lego took a modular approach that gives you several distinct parts to build — something one of Lego’s own fans suggested nearly a decade ago.

Here are some more images from the company, also blow-up-able if you click the captions:

Lego has recently become master of turning adult nostalgia into profits — I personally couldn’t help but scrape together the $400 for the incredible Lion Knights’ Castle, and the $250 $300 Home Alone house before that. But budgets are a lot tighter this year, so I’ll probably leave Rivendell to individuals with deeper pockets — just like I missed the Volkswagen T2 Camper Van, or the Lego Ideas Tree House at its original price.

Lego Rivendell will be available March 5th for Lego VIPs (it’s a free signup) and for everyone else March 8th.