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January 5, 2014
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January 5, 2014
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javert24601's Reviews

The Tower of Orthanc™

Posted:January 5, 2014

javert24601

Age: 14-18 years old

Customer Type: LEGO Fan

Building Experience: Advanced LEGO builder

Overall:

5 / 5

Undoubtedly THE best LEGO set I've ever had!

" My reviews title says it all and I will explain why:

The Box:

I thought the packaging for this model is excellent! The design on the box showing the tower, the ent and the minifigures in action, is a wonderful nod to the Lord of the Rings films, as it contains elements from all three. Sadly though I did think that whilst it looked pretty, the box is maybe a little too large. When I opened it, I got half a box of air, and when I dismantled the set and rebagged it (the re-sealable sandwich bags you can get are incredibly useful for LEGO!), I managed to fit all 15 bags into a box the size of the Battle of the Black Gate (though very tightly packed). Whilst I managed this, I do think LEGO could have got away with using a box that was around the size of the Battle of Helm's Deep or Medieval Market village. And you'll be pleased to know that that is my only gripe with this set, but I understand why LEGO used the box this size anyway (it took a lot of convincing to get me to unbox the bags to take elsewhere as the box would have been far too big to take on the train...) So now I've stated my only negatives for this set I will carry on by praising it with the highest of regards.

The Instruction Manuals: The first thing I noticed when I felt the instruction manuals was the texture of an expensive type of paper, and it felt really quite lovely and made me feel like I was getting my moneys worth with this set. They were incredibly clear in what pieces you had to put on etc, and I feel they did the right thing by splitting it into 3 individual booklets as 1 large one would have made it a little too thick and it would get tatty very easily.

The Minifigures: Sir Christopher Lee is my favourite actor, so to finally get Saruman in this set was a wonderful feeling, and I feel his likeness is captured amazingly well! Grima Wormtongue is also a lovely addition to the set. Gandalf is nothing very special considering he's been seen before, and the Uruk Hai/Mordor Orcs are nice to get more of to have more of an army. Gwahir (the Great Eagle) is also a brilliant addition to this set (even though he's also available in the Black Gate set).

The Ent: LEGO have managed to capture the feeling of plant and living being in this structure very nicely. I really hope LEGO decide to bring Treebeard into the line built in the same way. It's also very clever how he/she has been articulated to allow for them to throw things at the tower like in the Two Towers.

The Tower: What can I say? It's HUGE! That's one thing. I was gobsmacked by the size of the model as I placed the last pieces on (needed to stand up to do so!) I took a picture of my little brother standing next to it, and it's half his height! Absolutely remarkable. The set is also instantly recognisable due to the extensive amounts of detail the designers have put into it! The open back is also a VERY nice addition because the amount of play features crammed in, really make this set worth having. I love the comical aspects (for example the unlit brackets in the bomb room, which echo a scene in which Grima nearly blows it to smithereens by having a lit torch so near to it) and also the serious aspects (the Throne Room seen in the Fellowship of the ring). The light up Palantir is lovely and it looks wonderful when it is lit up. Whilst not canon, the trophy room at the top of the tower is very nice, and I love how the paintings on the wall show the 5 wizards. You even get the staves of all 5 of the wizards in this set, which again is a nice edition, which I believe echoes a passage from either an appendix of the Lord of the Rings or another Middle Earth book by J.R.R Tolkien. It is clear that the LEGO designers involved in the making of this set, are true fans of the franchise and it's incredible when you notice how much detail has been put into this amazing structure!

Overall: I am a student, so the whopping price-mark was one I never thought I'd reach, (due to having to pay rent) but when I finally had enough, I was ecstatic, and the set was in no way a disappointment. I've been a collector of LEGO since early 2000, and I've had a lot of sets in my time but this is, as the title says, probably the best set I've ever had due to the reasons I have given above. I don't think I'll ever get tired of building and rebuilding this set! "

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