LEGO has recently released the largest ever LEGO The Lord of the Rings set with Minas Tirith (11377). It comes in at a whopping 8,278 pieces and retails for $649.99 which is also the most expensive LotR set. Will the set live up to the high price and anticipation?
Minifigures
There are ten minifigures in the set which includes Aragorn as King Elessar, Arwen, Faramir, Peregrin Took, Denethor, Gandalf the White, and four Soldiers of Gondor.
Aragorn is in his outfit after he is crowned King Elessar. The armor is printed with the Seven Stars of Elendil and is blank on the back. Underneath the armor is also a very detailed torso with the White Tree of Gondor and also has arm printing as well. His double-sided head shows him with a somber look on one side and an angry expression on the other. The crown is molded onto his hair piece. His accessories include a dual-colored cape and a sword.
Arwen has on the light green dress after she sees Aragon again after the coronation. It’s very plain but there’s some silver detailing around the collar and on the arms. Her double-sided head shows her with a calm look on one side and a closed eye expression on the other. There’s also some faint printing of her circlet as well. Her accessory is the printed white banner showing the White Tree of Gondor.
Faramir has a detailed torso also showing the White Tree of Gondor. It is slightly covered by the strap that goes around the torso. The outfit is complemented by the short green cape. His double-sided head shows him with a calm look on one side and an angry expression on the other. His accessory is a sword.
Peregrin Took is now seen wearing armor that shows the White Tree of Gondor and a long green cape after he pledges to Denethor. His double-sided head shows a brave look on one side and a concerned look on the other. His accessory is a sword.
Denethor has on some chainmail with the black robe over it. He has a grumpy look on one side and a scared expression on the other.
Gandalf the White makes a pretty rare appearance in the LotR sets. He is dressed in mostly white with some gold detailing on both sides of the torso. The legs are also detailed with some of the robes. He has a single sided head showing a stern expression but is mostly covered up with his white beard. His accessories include his sword Glamdring and his staff.
Lastly we have four Soldiers of Gondor. They are in the silver armor with the larger armor piece having the White Tree of Gondor printed on it. The helmets used have some wings molded on which looks pretty nice. Their accessories include a spear and shield. They all have different expressions and two skin tones.
We also have Shadowfax which is just a white horse. You can take off the block for Gandalf to ride on.
Build
The whole Minas Tirith is actually separated into two sections, the outer wall and the main citadel. The wall surrounds the whole inner citadel area and it doesn’t really attach to it but uses some pins to slide it right in to the main castle.
From the outside looking in, the wall doesn’t have that many details but there are cracks here and there alongside the white masonry bricks.
Right in the middle, we have the very detailed Great Gate using brown and sand-green parts including some for the small figures. The door opens inwards and has enough room for both Gandalf and Shadowfax to fit through it.
One thing to note about the front gate is that if you gotten Grond with your purchase, it will not reach the gate as the plates in the front are blocking it. You can technically roll it up the plates but that isn’t accurate to the movie.
Inside the outer wall, there more details on the opposite side showing the happenings on the city streets. Starting on the left side, there’s a small market selling some fruits and vegetables along with a chicken and fish.
Towards the right side, there’s a armory area with a lot of swords and spears. There’s also a little water trough as well.
For each side, there’s an upper level for the battlements that the Gondor army can stand on. The areas aren’t that big but it’s roomy enough for all four minifigures to stand on.
As we go more inside Mina Tirith, the set substantially grows bigger. Here we have higher walls on both sides of Mount Mindolluin. Again, there are small buildings and awnings filling up the city walls.
Inside this middle section of Minas Tirith, you have the throne of Gondor sitting high in the middle. Behind the throne, there’s a brick-built decoration of the Tree of Gondor.
Right next to stairs is the table that Denethor eats the chicken and tomatoes while Faramir goes out to battle at Osgiliath. A cherry is used to represent the tomatoes Denethor stuffs his face with.
The whole throne area can be removed and can be displayed separately from the whole build as it is on its own plated section.
Flanked on both sides of the throne are statues of past kings which are in all white.
Hanging above the throne room is a large dome with a chandelier hanging down. There are some pearl-gold shells used at decorations around the dome.
For the other parts of the interior rooms, the one right of the throne is a simple bedroom with a bed and fireplace.
The other side is Gandalf’s study where he does his research into the history of the One Ring during The Account of Isildur. There’s a couple of shelves of books on the back wall.
The next floor up has more hidden areas with more Easter eggs for the movie. The left side has a pile of wood which is a reference to the pyre that Denethor uses to burn Faramir and himself.
The right side has a stand with the palantir which shows the eye of Sauron printed on a minifigure head. This is a reference to Pippin sneaking a peek at it before him and Gandalf rides to Minas Tirith. The other side of it shows a rider on a horse.
After that we have the mountainside that is built as part of two larger sections. It’s pretty rocky as you expect a mountain to be and there’s even some walkways to go inside it.
Once that’s completed, you connect both large sections of the castle together which I thought was the most stressful part of the whole build. When the panels are covered up, you would’ve even know that it was two larger castle parts set on top of each other.
The highest level of Minas Tirith is the Court of the Fountain. Here we have the fountain right in the middle and a dead white Tree of Gondor next to it.
At the back, we have the Tower Hall, which itself is grand, but we also have the Tower of Ecthelion next to it.
Results
The LEGO The Lord of the Rings Minas Tirith (11377) is a very impressive set on a grand scale. The amount of details on it is impressive from both sides of the castle. I know that LEGO has been doing these halfies sets for a little bit now and there are fans that don’t like that kind of design and want a full one but these are the types of sets we’re getting now. It does get a little hard to pick up and move around simply because of the sheer size of it.
Furthermore on the details, it’s an interesting design feature using both minifigure scale and microscale builds. Also there are a number of Easter eggs that are in the set with some hidden behind walls or beneath some tiles. The minifigure selection is decent but more Gondor soldiers would’ve been nice.
As impressive as Minas Tirith is, the price point of $649.99 is the thing that will turn people away. It is one of the most expensive sets that LEGO has ever released and not many people have that much disposable income for such a large purchase. But if you are able to get one, it will make a great display piece if you have the space. Also once you place it somewhere, it’ll be its forever home because it is a pain to move it around.
Thank you to LEGO for sending in this set for me to review. The content above represents my own opinion and not the company. Review sets sent in does not guarantee a positive review.
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