Lego: the Hobbit / An Unexpected Gathering Review (The Shire / Bag End)

Let's kick off the Christmas haul reviews in a proper way.  The Lord of the Rings always will ring a Christmas note to me because of its traditional proximity in release dates to the 25th of December.  I've seen the movie's on my break from college, teaching and what have you.  (I'm actually gearing up to see "the Hobbit" tomorrow with my 9 month pregnant wifey after our OBGYN appointment...her idea, not mine!  In all honesty, she's a bigger Tolkien fan than I am, I think.)

Speaking of wifey, she certainly did not fail to please for this Christmas.  I received a whole mess of on-line only Star Wars Vintage Collection figures, a few awesome Lego sets and a San Diego Comic Con exclusive set of Battle Beasts Minimates...oooh, speaking of Comic Con, she also got tickets for us to the Wizard World Philly Comic Con!  My first Con! Excellent!  I can't wait to see the Torchwood, Star Trek captains reunited, Bruce Campbell and Chris Hemsworth panels!  Freaking sweet!

Does the set measure up to our beloved Hobbit hole?

So onto the first highlighted item.  It's the sole Lord of the Rings lego set I got this year.  I've had my eyes on this set ever since the pictures were released during the SDCC.  Honestly, when I found Lego snagged LotR as a series (Back to the Future was just added this week too btw!), instantly I knew I had to have a Shire set.   This Bag End depiction in the set "An Unexpected Gathering" is perfect.

In every sense of the word, this set is "charming" to the last detail.

The set screams "detail."  It's absolutely wonderful in every single touch placed throughout its construction.  It mirrors the feel of Bilbo and Frodo's home perfectly giving the outside a nice, rustic look while having the homey comforting aspects of the inside.  I think it works so well because this is one of the only settings we actually get a chance to look at while the pace of the story is still idling and we can really take in the surroundings.

The exterior has a great ranch style fence  around the front with a hinged working gate, plenty of flowers growing around the yard and windows, beautiful port hole windows, a nice front rose window with inlaid glass panelling, a wonderful large round green door paramount to all Hobbit holes, an adjustable bench , a hanging lantern, a produce barrel and a garden with stems sprouting about!

The interior has a nice table with a detailed spread,  lovely fireplace and chimney, shelves with bottles on them, detailed maps of middle Earth, pots, pans, and a writing desk with Bilbo's current "There and Back Again" masterpiece still in progress accompanied with a ink-stand and quill.   Phew!  Quite a bit of nice details!

Look at the fire in the fireplace! Spectacular touch!

Minifigure-wise, this set is packed!  You get a great Bilbo Baggins along with detailed Galdalf (although if you've already been collecting this set, you already most likely have him since he came with the "Galdalf Arrives" set...and you'll get him again with the Goblin King set in this series as well...enough Gandalf already or at least make a White Wizard version for variation) along with four of the dwarfs; Balin, Dwalin, Bofur and Bombur.
They come with some great beards, chest detailing, weapons, digging tools, daggers, and a huge hammer weapon!

Balin, Bofur, Dwalin, Bombur, Bilbo and Gandalf

What's even cooler is that this set can be used across the time frame as you can use this to recreated your favorite Fellowship of the Ring scenes depicting the beginning of the film when Gandfalf arrives and Frodo takes up the quest!

 

"A wizard arrives precisely when he means to!"

"Please don't turn me into anything...unnatural!"

All in all, this is a must-have for all Lord of the Rings fans, it was a blast to build and I cannot recommend it enough.