LEGO has treated The Lord of the Rings fans to some spectacular recent sets, from The Last Homely House of Rivendell to the Dark Tower of Barad-dûr. However, the heart of J.R.R. Tolkien’s seminal fantasy saga and Peter Jackson’s iconic trilogy of film adaptations has always been the Shire, where hobbits dwell. Does the new LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Shire (10354) set measure up to LEGO’s own high standards for recreating locations from Middle-earth? Yes and no, as the set will surely satisfy Lord of the Rings fans while possibly leaving veteran LEGO building looking for something with a little more spectacle.
While the set is called “The Shire,” it could just as easily have been titled “Bag End” since the home of Bilbo Baggins is really what builders are putting together. Three sections comprise Bag End, each capable of being separated and put back together, and all with an open back. Two extra freestanding structures – a fireworks tent and Bilbo’s party tree – mark the specific occasion of this snapshot of Bag End, that of Bilbo’s 111th birthday party, which kicked off The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Even for someone like me, who only occasionally puts together LEGO sets, building The Shire was a straightforward and relatively simple process compared to other recent builds like the X-Mansion and Gotham City. This feels appropriate, almost as a reflection of the hobbits’ humble, grounded culture and simple lifestyle. Many of the exterior details revel in the pastoral beauty of the Shire as depicted in Jackson’s films, with plenty of flowers in the garden and large, rounded, matted green pieces giving the impression of being grassy hillocks, the very kind that hobbit holes are typically built into. Overlarge vegetation like pumpkins and pinecones recalls the forced perspective implemented in the movies to make the Hobbit actors appear smaller. It won’t challenge longtime LEGO builders, but The Shire is a delightfully meditative and relaxing set to assemble.
Inside Bag End are several Easter eggs and nods to Bilbo’s adventures. In Bilbo’s study is the famous Red Book, where he records the events of his adventure before passing the book down to Frodo. Next to that book rests Bilbo’s contract with Thorin Oakenshield to venture to the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit. A chest in Bag End’s hallway hides Bilbo’s mithril shirt, and on a table in the next room is the dwarven map to Erebor, with its shining, previously hidden runes. An envelope is suspended in the same room’s fireplace and a turn of a knob sees it burn away to reveal the One Ring, just like it happened in The Fellowship of the Ring.
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The standalone structures are a bit less impressive. The fireworks tent houses a fun before-and-after effect in which builders can either place a dragon firework stuck in the ground or replace it with the post-launch remnant, switching the Merry and Pipping minifigures to shocked and sooty faces with hair standing on end to match. That said, the structure is unassuming enough that it’s easy to forget it’s even there.
Less easy to forget is the party tree, with a textured banner celebrating Bilbo’s birthday and a string of lights on the bottom. Unfortunately, the tree looks bare and unimpressive, almost sickly, especially compared to the much sturdier tree resting atop Bag End. The firework dragon that hovers above the tree is a nice touch, as is the ability to have Bilbo pull a disappearing act as he did to end the party in the actual story of The Lord of the Rings. Yet, it’s hard not to feel like LEGO’s resources might have been better spent on embellishing the main Bag End unit a bit further, perhaps even enclosing it to allow the centerpiece tree more dimensions.
Gandalf’s simple wagon full of fireworks is easily the favorite of all the standalone builds. The Gandalf and Frodo minifigures can sit alongside each other on the wagon’s bench, instantly evoking the scene of Gandalf’s arrival in the Shire at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring, surely a pleasant sensation for any fan of The Lord of the Rings.
All of the minifigures in the set are delightful. The five major hobbits from the story – Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Bilbo – are all present, with smart detail work on their clothing and near-perfect recreations of their childlike grins. Rosie Cotton fits right in with the group, while the perhaps less expected inclusions of the two Proudfoot hobbits bear their signature scowls. Gandalf looks about the same as in past sets, but is welcome nonetheless.
Despite some great details, The Shire does lack the wow factor of its companion Rivendell and Barad-dûr sets. Perhaps that’s by design since The Shire, at an MSRP of $269.99, is easily the least expensive of LEGO’s recent The Lord of the Rings releases. It’s also bigger than expected. Based on some promotional photographs, I’d hoped the set would fit snugly on my bookshelf next to my growing collection of Tolkien’s books, but The Shire can easily take up an entire bookshelf, or even a small side table, on its own.
The Lord of the Rings fans will find much to love in LEGO’s The Shire set, especially those who feel a kinship with the hobbits. While it may not be the most exciting set to put together for seasoned builders, or strike quite the same iconic silhouette as other The Lord of the Rings LEGO sets, the peaceful building experience and naturalistic facade makes it the perfect choice for anyone who has ever been drawn the Tolkien’s nature-loving themes, the pastoral beauty of The Shire, or perhaps are okay with a set that doesn’t draw quite as much attention to itself. For those folks, pull up a chair and stuff your pipe with your favorite pipe-weed, because you’re in for a treat.
The LEGO The Lord of the Rings: The Shire set is on sale now.
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