LEGO enthusiasts and Lord of the Rings fans, mark your calendars! LEGO is set to release The Lord of the Rings: The Shire on April 2 for LEGO Insiders, and on April 5 for everyone else. This marks the third LOTR set in three years, following the impressive 6,167-piece Rivendell in 2023 and the monumental 5,471-piece Barad-dûr in 2024. The new 2,017-piece set, The Shire, brings the beloved hobbit-hole of Bilbo Baggins to life in stunning detail.

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The Shire set captures the charm and warmth of the hobbit world, with every wall and surface meticulously designed to reflect the cozy and rustic feel of Bilbo's home. IGN had the opportunity to build and review this set, and while it perfectly encapsulates the spirit of its subject, it comes with a disproportionately high price tag given its piece count.

We Build LEGO LOTR Shire

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Set #10354 depicts Bilbo Baggins' hobbit-hole as seen during his "eleventy-first" birthday celebration. This set includes nine minifigures: Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, Mrs. Proudfoot, Farmer Proudfoot, Merry, Pippin, Rosie Cotton, Samwise Gamgee, and Gandalf the Grey. The home, nestled into a green-bricked hillside, allows a peek into three rooms: the main foyer accessed through the iconic round door, a study to the left, and a dining and sitting area to the right.

The construction involves building these rooms separately and connecting them with clamps, creating a seamless hillside exterior and a cozy interior living space. The set's designers have gone to great lengths to capture the essence of hobbit life, complete with patterned rugs, letters from well-wishers, and food scattered throughout the home. Notable details include a wedge of cheese above the fireplace, bread and libations on the windowsill, and artifacts from Bilbo's adventures, such as the Mithril Coat in a chest by the door and a well-worn map on the table.

The set includes a single mechanical feature, utilizing LEGO Technic to allow you to switch the fireplace display between a charred envelope and the One Ring, a homage to a key scene in The Fellowship of the Ring. The rooms, wider than they are tall, reflect the hobbit-hole's spacious feel, and while the interior construction is straightforward, the exterior's flowing curves demand careful attention.

Building The Shire offers a tactile experience reminiscent of running a hand over a globe, with the varied curves and slopes of the hillside crafted from multiple green pieces. This design not only adds to the set's aesthetic appeal but also underscores the hobbits' connection to their environment. The set is topped with a tree, its branches extending over the hilltop, enhancing the natural feel of Bag End.

Additional elements include a birthday cake, a Party Tree with colorful lanterns, a patterned tent, a red dragon firework, and Gandalf's horse-drawn carriage, all of which enhance the set's storytelling potential. There's also a clever mechanism with barrels and gears that lets you recreate Bilbo's disappearing act from his party.

While The Shire set is simpler than its predecessors, Rivendell and Barad-dûr, it's a fitting representation of the hobbits' unpretentious lifestyle. However, its pricing raises questions. At $270 for 2,017 pieces, it's 34% above the traditional 10 cents per brick metric, making it feel more like a $200 set. This is in stark contrast to other high-profile sets like LEGO Star Wars sets, which are also priced higher due to licensing fees.

Despite its cost, The Shire remains the most affordable option for LOTR fans unable to justify the larger sets. Yet, it's worth considering whether LEGO's established brand loyalty and the enduring popularity of Lord of the Rings can sustain this pricing strategy.

For those interested, a LEGO mini-movie featuring this set is also available:

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